The Oriental Years
by Bliss Saijin
Summary: A wise man had once said 'blood is thicker than water', and it must have been spoken from the truth. If mutants ban together an become a true family whom will risk lives for another, then their blood must be thickest of all.
1. To Come Forth

            So... my Goddamned Word wants to be stupid beyond any damned thing known to man... I'm stuck using the 6.1 version of WordPerfect... which really sucks, let me tell you now. So... if anything is really fucking stupid, just blame my computer. I blame everything on my computer, even sunspots, that, or blame it on my Wolverine doll (who happens to carry the nick-names "Sunshine", "Mr.Slave", "Rogain" (Yes, with no 'e'), and "Tooth-Fairy". (The others are kinda obvious... but don't ask about the Rogain one, in-joke XD)).

            So... here I is writing an X-Fic. Bow to me. There are original characters, such as Fyer the Dragon-girl, Tora the tiger half-breed, and Kaysa the clock-stopper. They belong to me and my friends who created them. I used my friend's characters with permission (which the characters happen to be Fyer and Kaysa. Tora is mine).

            I, nor any of my friends, own or claim to own the original X-Men characters. We're not cool enough, or so Marvel, the true owners, say. Which gets us pissy so we rant and sit in our rooms and stare at our X-Men dolls with the tight asses... or at least I do. Have you seen the ass on the Wolverine doll? Oh my God, so fine, but anyways, this brings me to another point. We have a REASON for making our own characters, and if it isn't obvious as of now, wear tin foil on your head so we _know who you are_! ...Jean annoys me, Gambit's ass so damn fine for Kaysa's creator, and Pyro is open fine enough for Fyer's creator. So bite me. Get an open mind to Original character pairings... sure as hell are open minded enough for guy-on-guy pairings...

            Well, this fic is based on the Evolution series anyways (or at least most of it is)... it starts off kinda odd and will make many references to Tora's past that ye'all won't really understand yet. Chill out, I might write a past to Tora to clear that up. I want to get into this first though… and the other two fics that go after this one…

            Out she came, finally showing slight trace of her true face, or at least, true if she were to morph to full human. The crimson dress the blue one had given her hung from her body like silk, slits cut from her feets right to the tips of her thighs and thick shoulder straps kept this dress in place securely.

            Green eyes holding an inner animal, her spirit creature that of the orange-and-striped cat, a hand, white like the bottom of a tiger's paw pressed over her mouth, black ears hung slightly as the side of her head where normal human ears would. Her tail, which normally frizzed and swaying in annoyance, sat still and smooth. This woman was still afraid to turn herself fully human and show anyone. Perhaps a human body with feline features (along with the stripes such a cat like herself was known for), Tigress stood nervously before a meeting of her fellow mutants... questioning how in hell Kurt ever convinced her to such a horrid act.

            "You know you like it Tora..." the blue, fuzzy one happy poked at Tora a bit, "it brings out your angry side."

            He smiled playfully as Tora tossed a lock of ashen hair from her face nervously. She glanced to all before her, Kurt, obviously glad she wore his gift, Xavier smiled kindly as he always did to Tora, Kitty commenting on how she wants such a graceful dress, Oasis giving Tora a thumbs-up... though which Tora didn't quite understand, Scott gave a smile-although it clashed with his raised brow, and, finally to come to her path of sight, Remy holding up the Queen of Hearts card for her.

            "I-it alright... I guess..." her eyes fall down, and a smile tugs at the edge of her lips as she strokes a hand over the red clothing upon her.

            "Oh, you're so full of shit, Tora..." out from the shadows of a hallway came Tora's ultimate stress creator, Logan. Having no care or manners, he barges himself right into her face, which now hold a scowl and is totally oblivious to being shy of the new dress, "you give _them_ the 'Oh, I'm so innocent' crap and save the bitchy rage for me, huh?"

            Orange fur strands began to fling up high one-by-one on her tail, bright eyes of green narrow and fangs bare, "If you were shot with tranquil everyday by arrogant man, you'd bare grudge on him too!"

            "God, you are such a fucking ass, you have no idea what I've been though... damn it Tora, you can't even speak English correctly!"

            "Oh, and I suppose you where in laboratory when ignorant men scientists tried to rape me? You just think of yourself!"

            Groaning deep within his thick throat and curling each finger into a fist, Logan flung each long blade from his knuckles and rose his hand slowly, just as Tora's body changed oddly in seconds-fur growing, face morphing to that of a tiger beast. Others began to back off, confused on whether to interfere with two animals engaging themselves in rage, or stand back and watch blood fling onto the walls.

            "Tora! Logan!" Xavier threw his flat palm in their directions, their bodies no longer in their mind's control, "If you two don't calm down, I'll see to it that your training hours will be doubled!"

            With calming snarls and growls, both lowered their adrenaline, Tora going back to being more human, and Logan retracted the silver knuckle knives. Both began to inch themselves back, Logan the first to twist back around and storm off, knowing better than to argue against Xavier… at least when it came to the Tiger half-breed that was Tora. She, however, stayed, orbs of bright jade darting to Xavier once her stress-factor had disappeared. Ebony ears of a feline upon her head lowered, and her black brows arching up and a curtain of guilt falling over her.

            "I am sorry Professor, that man just knows how to push right buttons to anger me…" her sigh only added to her words… just in a more emotional way.

            "Tora, don't you remember anything I taught you about being human? Being half human, you should know arguing more-or putting fuel on the fire-just makes things worse." He wheeled his chair a bit closer and, though he frowned uncomfortably, his voice was placid and smooth.

            Brows switch from being forced up, to arching down, her voice less apologetic than it once was, "Charles, he came to me with insult when I had done nothing. I refuse to let… _him_ walk over me."

            "Alright, I see your point there Tora. Would you feel better if I had a talk with him?" Face lighting up a bit, Xavier held out a hand to add with his offer, trying to figure a way to find peace between two mutants at war.

            Her eyes abruptly grow very depressing, her face looming with a strange and swift gathering shadow, a unknown emotion Xavier could not see behind. The red dress flows like rippling water behind her as she turns, walking down a hallway to her room, muttering softly as each foot goes in front of the other.

            "Don't bother…"

            "Vhy do you do that?" Kurt appears on the kitchen's wooden table, arms folded on his chest which was arched from his head between his shoulders. Eyes of gold squinted thin, both aimed at the back of an arrogant man hounding the cabinets for potato chips, "You really are a jerk, I thought it vhas a metaphor..."

            "Shut your trap, elf! She's a bitch and you know it…" a can of tuna flung in Kurt's direction, Logan not really caring for Tora's food supply and chucking it at his head.

            "At least I know who'll rot in hell first…" his mutter was met with his universal _BAMF_ echo, a smog of blue haze in the very spot he once was.

            Eyes of brown glance over a broad shoulder, darkened heavy brows arch downwards in an instant, noting Kurt had preformed his famous disappearing trick. Good riddance, he was growing rather boring… as if he didn't on a daily basis. Preaching to him like a school child, what ignorance his fellow peers had at times, and to make matters worse, his chips had been eaten, the bag left empty as evidence (pure ignorance).

            It was that half-breed Tora, he figured he could bet his money on it… though all she ever seems to eat was tuna, tuna salad, and a mix of both. She was always spotted stuffing healthy things into her cheeks, drinking green tea and sticking her nose high into the air at sugary and fatty foods.

            …Whatever, it was Tora, and she should be blamed for everything. Ever since _she_ came she had been nothing but a hell raiser for him, stealing his clothing, claming to be so damn innocent, always watching him intently with such bright eyes. Of course, she had a fine power, and knowledge to center it in battle… but like he'd ever admit to such things roaming around in his mind. He'd grown rather stick to the idea of Tora being a bumbling wench than that of a mutant of great power, or lovely one at that.

            The stalk for a new snack of choice began, now the hunt had moved to the refrigerator, his eyes, glinted with the white light of the inner refrigerator, darted about wildly, taking in every inch of sight. Wrapped fruits, stored meats, unfinished sandwiches… his peers were regular slobs.

            "Can you give me that blue container?" Oasis Kaysa, Oasis by many, Kaysa by only the trusted. Her index pointer was aimed into the refrigerator.

            "Aren't you going to give me a lecture on what an ass I am?" With a grunt and a raised up brow, a large hand griped the very same plastic blue Oasis had her finger aimed at, handing it to her with a face of suppressed annoyance. 

            "I would, but I rather not waste my breath," her voice was low, as was her tone, "Alright, I got it."

            Well, think of her and she shall come, how dare Tora show that damn pretty face of hers around him again, at least after that little arguing stunt. He slammed the refrigerator door shut, the half-breed flinching a bit. She snatched the plastic container from Oasis and poked her rose tongue out at Logan, giggling as Oasis snickered.

            "If I weren't so hungry, I'd kill you…" Broad chest out as he stands fully up, Logan snarls at both of them and tilts his head to the side, some gritted teeth baring.

            Oasis simply laughs and leans her slender body upon the white doorway, knowing either little fear, or little knowledge on Logan's temper. Tora… on the other hand, dances a bit more on the wild side, "Right… I would like to see that…"

            The plastic container was opened to reveal a pile of white rice and fish flesh, but opening it soon proved to be in vain, for it's releaser, Tora, was tackled around her lean waist by thick arms, arms that of a man pushed a bit far.

            "Logan! You idiot!" Oasis springs from the wood that was the doorway, her body in a stance looking ready to engage in a brawl.

            The Tigress rapidly grew orange fur upon her body, her nose and mouth growing out on her face and forming that of a large cat snout-whiskers and all. Her once fingered hands become massive clawed paws, both swiping up to the side of her attacker.

            Groaning, the enraged man flung out his weapons embedded deep within is hands, pointing them at her bare neck. Tigress had her own idea of a kill, one of the paws smacked on _his_ neck, the nails tugging at the skin, ready to slice in if he dared to do the same. His blades drew closer, her nails tugged harder. 

            "I wouldn't drive the blades into neck… I'll just give payback easily…" Each finger-like paw tapped on his neck, each one over the pulse in his neck, which raced like her own. Her mind moved from the current issue at hand of her near death… to softening eyes looking at him, wondering what his heart would sound like to her ear on his chest. Of course, he hated her… hell, she hated him too, his God damned arrogance was enough to make her gag herself. Just as her anger and urge to hold his decapitated head in her bloody paws boiled within her once more, another male was tossed into the scene, one she didn't exactly want to have a around at this moment, but glad to have some to get Logan off her.

            "Git' ah room a'ready!" Remy. The French-man had come to pry Logan from Tora… of course… he could have picked better words to make his entrance…

            Oasis glares to the feline and metal-clawed beast from behind Remy, her foot tapping on the tilted floor and her throat letting small groans of irritation escape. She scoots herself in more as Remy stomps his way to a trying-to-stand-upright Logan, a gangly hand covered in a ragged black glove latches itself to the Wolverine's arm, yanking him away from growling Tora.

            "I think I'll kill you later…" silvery blades safely tucked back under flesh, Logan's index finger poked at Remy's upper chest, the nail tapping on the rim of his collar bones. Now, after giving the grinning and 'proper' ranting (via Remy), his eyes set on Tora, who stood  and made her way to the blue container… like _nothing_ at all happened, "HEY! Stupid cat! I'm not done with you!"

            "Says you… I am hungry, so I done with you…" all eyes set on Tora with utter surprise… _Tora ignored a insult and brawl with Logan for food?_ Perhaps hunger really _is_ the best spice, being Tora turning her back on a offensive Logan seem to be a sudden changed of character for her.

_To  be concluded…_


	2. To Understand

"_Rrow…_" one fuzzy petting another fuzzy amused Tora, her small white-tiger cub playfully bat his huge paw at Nightcrawler's tail tip as he wagged it slowly. The cub, bored and knowing he would never catch that tail, snorts and clumsily pounces his way into Kurt's lap, shrugging his white fuzzy face in the wrinkles of Kurt's tan pants.

"Ah, he's an ass anyvhay, Tora, you could'a beat him up if you vhanted…" Kurt helped himself to the rice and fish Tora had to fight for, both him and the half-breed peacefully having lunch on the steps of the institute, cool winds slipping through their locks, the crisp sent of the fall air pleasing their noses, fresh food delighting their taste buds… Tora found peace with Kurt… rarely did she find peace now-a-day… or ever… not in that damned dank lab where they just created her for, seemingly, sex…

"Ass he may be, but he a tough guy… if I was to slip up I would be dead…" She continues the chatter with Kurt, digging through the rice for fish-bits.

"Is zat your best excuse?" His head tilted over some, a face of cute clueless making Tora smile shyly.

"What? Excuse? I was hungry… I didn't feel like getting into brawl over his arrogance…" Her head lops over to a side as well, looking at Kurt, who's lips grew ever-slowly into a mischievous smile.

"Oh c'mon Tora, vee both know zhat you vhould rather vhatch him strip naked zhen fight him…" Laughing, he casually looks at her with a smug grin, playful intentions behind it.

Tora's face dropped all emotions other than surprise… but it's not as if Kurt hadn't teased her on the subject before. He knew damn well she hated his guts and wanted his heart served to her on a silver platter. She couldn't help but to question herself on how she may act around him… perhaps doing something she doesn't even realize herself.

"Kurt, I hate that man. Simply."

"Vhatever you say!" He chuckled at her and prodded her cheek softly with his finger, about to comment on how pink they were, when the rolling of rubber car tires caught both of their attention spans.

A car? Perhaps a new mutant to join the team… how Tora wished it would be another man… not as arrogant either. She could get that idiot Logan off her thoughts. The passenger door flung open with a _click_, and a hand with a dark sleeve tightly hiding the arm held onto the door handle… seemed normal to the elf and half-breed. Only after one scaled foot set to the ground, taking the body of a dark feminine. Wings tightly held to her backside, three to four neatly grown scales sleekly under her ashen eye-orbs, and two sets of two spines sprouting on either side of her dark-haired head. The door was again slammed shut, and the Buick took off, rusted, looking like scrap.

Legs before the other, walking, a tail swaying behind the patterned trekking to the steps, the woman kept eyes on the ground and head pointed within the same direction. Now Kurt and Tora sprung to their feet… they stood upon the ball of their feets, like the animals they were… and so did the Dragon-women.

"Hello!" Kurt blurted out, Tora, jumpy, flinched a bit from the sudden action, "I'm Nightcrawler, and this is Tigress!"

The Dragon-women cocked her head up some to take a peek at them… blue? Fuzzy? And those ears…? Her head perks up ever-more, seeing as she was not alone in her un-human looks. The other woman was just as welcoming, though she has said nothing. Stripes, ears and eyes like a feline… a tail and long black claws… perhaps the Dragon woman would like it here more than she figured. For if others had to live with freakish bodies in society, maybe here she wouldn't be looked upon with fear.

"H-hello… I'm Fyer… I was told this is a sanctuary for… um…"

"Freaks?" Tora blinked, a finger to her lip with thought.

"Weird-o's?" Kurt improvised hidden goofiness.

The Dragon half-breed sighs sadly to them, a hand running under her thick locks to itch her scalp, "I guess…"

With a snatch of Fyer's wrist and a wink of his glittering eye, Kurt smiles to her, tugging her along into the institute, cheerful Tora not long behind, "Vhell, let me and Tigress me the first to show you around!"

Scribble went the fountain pen, ink in the shape of curved lines flooded the thin paper, writing to those younger mutants with less than… _accepting_ parents.

Xavier calmly writes, patiently waiting for the one he called to step in his room. The ticking of his clock never seemed to bother him as it many of his students… perhaps he was just used to it… but this is all beside his point.

Head up as soft knocks echoed in his room, the man he called to see finally coming around.

"Oh, yes, please come in." His chair inches off from the desk so as his arms could rest upon it, his smile bright as the sunlight pouring into his room.

Creaking doors open some, a head peeking in and a hand on the door's edge, "Am I interrupting anything, Charles?"

"Not at all, get a chair Logan," The professor points his flat palm to a clear space in front of his wooden desk, noting Logan dragging a chain behind him and drawing closer to the desk.

The chair was an old one, made from dark oak and finished with a nice polish, but Logan didn't really care, he knew what was going to get scolded for and would like to get it over with, longing for a warm shower. The left leg crossed the other to relax, an arm lined with sleek muscles on the very side edge of the chair's back, and his wrist hung over the back of the chair's rim, "Okay… I can figure what I'm about to get scolded for…"

"Scolded? When have I… er, to the subject, Logan… Tora is having a hard enough time, and-"

"_That cat_ is nothing but God damned walking trouble! What the hell do we need her here for anyway, huh? Can't she just run along to Magneto or something?" The relaxed position is quickly shifted to tense within a matter of seconds, balled fists on his knees. He never had stopped a sentence spoken from the professor, but Tora was something he would rather not discuss with anyone outside of his own mind.

Charles jerked his head back a bit, very surprised and taken by Logan's sudden shouting. Leaning his backside into his chair, he watches Logan intently, as if expecting him to rage on about Tora.

At this point the realization of his yelling sinks into to that thick head of his, one of his hands diving into the dark hair on that very same head, "Uh… I, uh… sorry Charles… I just don't think…"

"It's alright Logan, sometimes we need to gets things off our minds… but… you can't find Tora all that bad, can you?" There was Xavier in action, the patients of an Angel and the heart to match. To him, every living thing had a proper place on Earth.

The man twisted Charles's words over and over in his deep thoughts, of course he hated her… she was annoying, stupid, couldn't speak English correctly through those damned lips of hers, what a waste to have such full, perfect lips used in a disgraceful manner… at least those glinting green eyes of hers made up for it… possibly, she might have been acceptable as at least a worthy fighting opponent… but he refused to damage his pride, at all costs.

"Logan?" Xavier let upper-torso lean back onto the desk, always curious of other's thoughts, but holds himself form the urge to pry, "No answer?"

"I think I would be best to keep my mouth shut…" with a final nod of his head to the professor, Logan pulled himself to his feet and calmly took his presence out from the room, heading his way towards that shower.

"Oh, you are going to lose big, Scott!" Kurt, in a worn-in wife-beater top and PJ-pants during seven-at-night, smacks a small plastic ping-pong ball, the paddle held tightly with his curled tail.

"Oh really?" Scott scoffed back, hitting the ball softly with a smile, not wanting to send it half-way across the room.

Kurt, wobbling the paddle within his tail, a somewhat mocking gesture, waves his hands to himself, a 'bring it on' movement, "'Ja? I don't think so, pal!"

Spiking the small plastic ball, it clicked on the table and began it's journey flinging around the room: first to the ceiling, then to the tilted floor with a scrape, to a random wall, sounding a hallow thump… and finally, to a reading Fyer's head… rather hard as well.

"_Alright!_ Who was the smartass who tossed that at me…?" the Dragon glared up to edgy Scott first, then to a even-more-nervous Kurt, who shyly smiled and points to the paddled within the tail.

"Sorry Fyer! Zah ball vhent crazy on me!" Slyly, yet still anxious, Nightcrawler snatches the ball happily perching on a pillow near Fyer, "It vhon't happen again!"

Her dark eyes only watch him a moment more before they turn soft with a smile blooming on her face to match. The dragon closes her book, the cover simply black, aged with a few tears here and there, and stands, bowing to the blue one, "Don't worry about it…"

Her head was last to rise, as it always seemed to be, and eyes setting upon Kurt and Scott's newest games, an intent Tora watching. Like some felines, that woman had a knack for popping out of unknown places and appearing from nowhere, as such behind the ping-pong table. She looked quite intent, her eyes on the ball every time it would fly back and forth, but you could tell the urge to bat at it was driving her insane.

"Hey Tora…" Scott uttered, swapping the ball to Kurt's side, "You and Fyre are both from the East, right?"

"Hey, 'ja!" Kurt spiked it back… but with less force behind it this time, "You guys could speak native to each other, vee vhouldn't know vhat you guys are saying!"

Tora giggled at Kurt's suggestion and looked to Fyer, her face saying out-loud to the Dragon '_Pity him_'. Fyer shrugged and lazily glanced her dark orbs to Kurt, a small strand of deep-brown hair falling over her face, "But I do not speak Chinese."

"…And I don't speak Japanese," Tora naively blinks her sparkling eyes a number of times, confused on how they could mystify her homelands of China with Fyer's homelands of Japan… hell, she wondered why everyone does.

"_Well…_" a deep voice draws all the eyes in the room to a certain point, which happened to be right beside Tora, "…ain't that shit all the same thing?"

Most by now had looked down, knowing either, Tora, Fyer, or possibly both would soon snap his head off. Tora was the first to rant on his unawareness, her sigh deep, eyes of intense jade rolling deep in their sockets, "You ass hole, Chinese and Japanese two different countries…"

"You shit head…" the Dragon half-breed could only say this, rage growing like a small flame inside her, knowing repeating Tora might be useless.

Logan rubbed his head in a towel, his hair damp and warm from the cleansing shower. He didn't bother to fix it after the towel drying, it was always in a rather messy state anyway, though sometimes with at least a hint of some class. He let the colorless towel fall over bare, board shoulders, the cloth itself curled behind his neck. Needless to say, no top was presented on his torso, and though old, dusty blue-jeans hugged the contours of his legs, his chest went stripped of anything outside of that towel. Now, done with drying his locks, he calmly turns to the feline half-breed, leaning into her face until she had to hold the ping-pong table with the bottom of her palms, and top of her wrists to keep from tripping right on her tail.

"Get hell out of my face, Logan," Tora growls, but doesn't unleash her fur and tiger face, just simply makes threats and requests.

"Advice, _Asian_, if you plan to speak to me and continue that attitude, you'll find you won't need your arms and legs… or have them, whatever comes first," he sniffs her, wondering if he could trace the sent of fear, but all he could smell is straight up anger, and a slight strain of something… but it was so light, he dared not put his face deeper to figure it out.

Pushing away, Logan simply snorts at her and makes his way for the room hallways, ready to call it a day for himself. Tora on the other hand, flung upright and bares her gleaming white fangs, snarling in his direction and flexing her fingers out and in.

"I hate that man…"

_To be concluded…_


	3. To Play With Hearts

            Tora's small cub purred softly, slim bristles of a brush raking the ruffles of his fur and the knots he collected rolling in the grasses and lying in the warm sunshine. The cub had felt his furs had been straightened enough, his mew signaled that to Tora, and now he was ready to bathe with his long tongue.

            "Alright Koneko… you can take your bath…" Tora smiled to him, ruffling the fluffy head of the cub, for she had not brushed there.

            Leaping from the bedside, Koneko sits himself at the bottom of Tora's bedside and began to lick his furs. It was a wonder he didn't hack up a large ball of gangly white furs, what with how much he head and how long they were.

            Tora loved that cub, she refused to live without his presence in her life. She refused to live without him, or Kurt, or any other of the ones she's come to put her trust into, for if she would to dare put herself in a place like this without them… God knows what layer of hell would be raised. There were times when people would annoy her, dance on her nerve and whatnot… mostly Remy and his wisecracks, but one singled out from the others. Whether he did it purposely or just because he was the true jerk Tora had come to expect it from him.

            Logan. Wolverine. Whatever you called him, he was just one man that caused her stress level to soar, and in more than one way. Since the first day she was thrown into this school, her interactions with him have been nothing but blazing hellfire. When she first came, the animal within her took over and displayed aggression for being torn from her Chinese fatherland. He'd always come in with the tranquil darts to calm her down, of course she would attack. She'd never seen such a machine as a gun before, sniffing it then suddenly shot in the hind, only to wake up dazed three hours later. What the hell should he expect? A welcoming smile to being shot straight in the ass?

            Not only that, but he just couldn't let that go… Heaven forbid anything so put a dent in his pride. Kurt let the fact she attacked him go… he even helped to teach her English (whether or not it worked out well was another subject).

            On her door, gentle knocking, tapping into her thoughts and pulling her mind away. The already somewhat ajar door leisurely open, a fuzzy blue head poking in with a mighty grin, "Mine if I vhander in?"

            "Oh! No, come in… I was uh… just-"

            "Just thinking of someone, hum? With metal claws, hum?"

            "Hell no!" she snarled, trying not to giggle as she tosses one of her green bed pillows at Kurt's head.

            The fuzz disappears in a flash and left a haze of blue behind, the green pillow zipping right through and out the door. He reappears himself behind Tora, his three-fingered hands slipping over her eyes and his tail swaying wildly behind him, "Guess who!"

            "Oh, I have no idea… _Kurt_!" Her grin with lined with sharp humanoid teeth and her fingers slipped under Kurt's signaling him to let her see again.

            "No… it's your love, Lo-"

            Tora made sure he didn't finish, a hang over his mouth and a rather stern look to all her physique. With a great profound sigh and looking away, she rubs her forehead with index and thumb fingers, "Kurt… I hate the man, the man hates me. It fits."

            "No… I think you both find each other very lovely…" He snickers silently to himself, figuring Tora would have a fit and toss him out of the room.

            "Kurt… now you acting stupid…" One brow rose up, her body shifting so she could face him more easily, "All that fighting we do… how can you get such idea?"

            "Don't believe me? Vhell, I can prove that you guys have a bond!" He points a finger into the air and closes one of his golden eyes, the side of his smirk growing.

            Tora folds each arm into a cross below her breasts, now both dark brows raised high on her forehead, "How do you plan to pull it off?"

            Kurt opened his mouth and inhaled a breath shortly, thinking he would have a quickly said answer… but nothing comes from his throat… not even air. Questioning himself on how he should do such a stunt to prove they both found each other unbelievably amorous-and ultimately pulling the biggest prank on them-he drew blanks to his mind. It was a good point. How _was_ he going to pull it off, there had to be some way of cheesing them off and having fun while doing it… of course, fate loved Kurt, and often played his peers to his benefit.

            "ELF! Get your ass in your room and get to sleep…" And here he was now, the infamous Logan. Good timing.

            His fair eyes glint with a wild feisty nature, cobalt hands resting on her shoulders now, his body beginning to lean into the front side of hers. Tora normally found such actions as a show of what a sweetheart he was… but the fact he pushed on her softly and began to stoke his hands up her neck arose great worry and concern in her. She had the right mind to pull back… but he hadn't done anything drastically peculiar, so she just accepted it as him being his comical self.

            Kurt, on the other hand, began to enjoy watching Logan try to figure out what the hell he was doing. Wanting to see him squirm in anxiety, Kurt took another step on the bold side and kicked it up a notch. Leaning his head into the curve  of her neck and shoulder, an arm crawling up her neck and his palm cupping the back of her head and racing through thin strands of her long ashen hairs. The other arm glided casually from her neck, trailing to her backside a beginning to loop his arm to the curves of her. The reaction he desired to see from Logan was almost there, for the man in the doorway now had his arms crossed tightly and his head lowering, brown eyes angrily piercing golden ones.

            Now finally pushing his luck to the very edge, Kurt shifted his head, which lay on her shoulder lazily, and brushes his nose on her silk cheek. Tora had now turning a bit his way… God only knows what he would do next.

            Watching Logan uneasily looking ready to pounce on him for a moment more, Kurt turns himself to Tora slightly more, his lips gradually curling into a 'o' shape and pressing them onto her supple cheek, chuckling deep within his throat.

            Tora, totally taken by surprise by this, knows not what to do, other than sit there and let the fuzzy one kiss her delicately on the cheek, she did, however, manage to squeak out one word, "Uh…"

            "_Alright Kurt!_" Logan's right arm darted from it's folding of the other arm, his hand, claw-shaped, latches around the cerulean wrist that holds itself close to her backside, yanking it off Tora lightly, "Get your furry little ass into your God damned room, _now!_"

            Pushing back so as not to tweak Logan's already distressed state-of-mind, she cocked her head to the side some, watching the man drag off Kurt from over her shoulder. Curious, she pondering why Logan hadn't said some rude thing to her as well. What had Kurt done that was so horribly wrong… well… if she ignored the fact he was acting completely bizarre… 

            Storming out of the dim room, holding a blue arm harshly and grumbling swears under his breath, Logan guides an overly happy Kurt to his bedroom. With each step Nightcrawler takes, his tail sways, curls, or bounces with delight. His point proven, whether it was to Tora or not, it was to Kurt, and that filled him with happiness.

            "Ah-ha, so I vhas right!" His snickering was met with the angry face of Logan, a snort from the man and a poke on the nose from the furry one, "You got jealous vhen I kissed her."

            "No… I got pissed because you ignored me… and if you poke my nose again you'll regret it," turning himself away, he places Kurt's hand upon his room doorknob, grunting and making a B-line for his own room. Of course, Kurt felt the need to always have the last word, and this was no exception.

            "C'mon Logan, the sooner you admit to falling for her, the better you'll feel."

            His next step was hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should bother to knock that idea out of that fur-ball's ball, but it was dismissed, knowing he probably gave Tora the same hell. Walking on, he passes Oasis, moaning and expressing irritation in relatively colorful words.

            Oasis veers off from him and continues her walk on to the restroom, her teeth needing their nightly cleaning. Her pit-stop with Kurt brings up questions for him to answer, "What was that all about…?"

            "Ah, Logan just vhon't admit that he's infatuated with Tora…" Kurt shrugs, slinking into his room as Oasis wandered away, laughing.

            "I wish they'd give up and make-out already…"

            "_I fuckin' heard that!_" Deep down in a darker part of the hall bellows Logan's voice, obviously highly upset on the subject.

            "Alright… chill out…" Oasis rolls golden eyes in their sockets, inquiring why he was always so damn bitchy on the issue and never explained why. Hell, she knew why, everyone knew why, including Tora _and_ Logan… though the laws of their pride prohibit them to say it out-loud.

            Oasis, on the other hand, always felt free to speak her mind, regardless who's emotions where crushed and who's pride was broken. People had the right to know what she thought of them, never once had the idea struck her that some things were better left unspoken…

            "Ah, Kay'a! Wa'ch out, yes?" 

            …Accept when it came to Remy…

            Oasis shuttered at her _other_ name, Kaysa, who she only lets trusted call her. Remy was trusted… very trusted indeed. Even though he was outright handsome as hell, she'd rather to not glace at him… no one had seen her blush and live.

            "Yea… whatever… I'm going to clean up now…" Not once peering eyes to him, she swerves around him and tries to head to the only-two-doors-away rest room, merely to be stopped in her footprints for a second time.

            Snatching wrists was quite a way to get attention in this building, seeing as Remy had stopped Oasis in this manner, "Whoa, w'ere do ya' t'ink you're goin'? You di'nt even peek ah me."

            "I told you I was going to clean up for the night… look the bathroom's right there so can I go now?" Her lean wrist tugs free of his grip, her eyes finally making contact with his face… which soon led to being a hefty mistake on her part.

            "Oh… Kay'a… yo'r eyes are so lov'ly when tey are blue…"

            "Shut it, I don't fall for your shit like most women…" Scoffing the compliment right back to his face only made the challenge more great… but what made her worry… her eyes had changed as the always do… but to blue. Blue was the color of a longing within her… well, fuck her inside feelings! She refused to respond to those lame-ass pick-ups anyway.

            "I ha'e ways to chan'e yo'r mind…" few last words of a man whom didn't understand the meaning of 'no'.

            Gracefully, but much more swiftly than her, he follows Oasis reaching arms out and grasping her by the hips. His next move broke off the insults she was about to sling his way, twisting her clear around until she didn't have to glare over her shoulder to see him, and rammed her body onto a random door, not giving one damn who's in there. Moving into this third, and final act, he didn't bother for her to speak or wait until she shoved him away, he simply took note of the small space between their bodies, and immediately fixed it, pushing his body lightly onto hers.

            "_Remy_… what are you doing…?" By now, Oasis' eyes had flusters into a bright ice sapphire, pleasing Remy to no end.

            "I am chang'in yo'r mind…" Jumping clear over the games he would normally play to tease most women, he headed right for the main event, face coming ever closer, he folded his palm to fit the rims of her jaw line, and just as his lips begin to brush like feathers over hers, gravity abruptly makes itself known by having them both fall on each other like dominos.

            "Keep it dow-Oh… what do we have here…?" Expecting to find more younger students running about the halls, but coming to find the exquisite Oasis under Remy was nothing that came to mind once the door opened for Scott.

            Grunting and moaning, Oasis pushes Remy off her body as much as he let her, and otherwise squirms free to take herself up and brush the wrinkles out of her nightgown.

Remy didn't care one bit what events happened, for just as he picks himself up, he attempts to advance on Oasis again… only to me with a backhand slap in the face.

            "…And you complain about Logan and Tora having problems…" Scott arched both brows down, but keeps everything else about him deadly still.

            "Shut up… I'm not in the mood Scott…" a slender hand spreads itself on Remy's chest, shoving him out of the doorway and the taking herself out of the room. Only Remy and Scott were left, debating each other with their glaring eyes.

            "Rapist…" Scott muttered to Remy, pushing him out the door.

            "…Pussy" Remy snarled an insult back, just as the door slams right on his hind.

_To be concluded…_


	4. To Hate

            Bit by bit Tora takes herself into the kitchen-sleepy and hating the mornings-Koneko bouncing behind her wanting his usual three strips of bacon. She picks up the tiger cub, scratching his head idly and approaching the kitchen. Koneko rubbed his face on her red dress, growing in pleasure, for he indeed loved mornings.

            Now within the walls of the kitchen, she notes all her allies stuffing their faces, the younger ones in a bit of a hurry so as not to beat a Monday school day. Her eyes scanned, needing to have a small chat with a certain blue-boy…

            "_Kurt…_" Tora's hand upon his bare should came as a surprise to him, a few fruit loops from his breakfast flung into the air and landed on his wifebeater, "Kurt… we must talk."

            "Oh?" His chair scooted out and as he stood, flinging his tail at the fruit-loops, the sugary wheat bit falling to the ground, "What is it Tora?"

            "Out here…" She wandered outside the white kitchen, her voice a bit monotone… which it never was to Kurt, so something had to be wrong.

            Cautiously, he walks quietly behind Tora, letting her lead on into the hallways of the student rooms. From behind the corner, she made sure no one got too curious to why she took Kurt and disappeared, but no one seemed to care that much, so Tora was comforted.

            "Kurt…" His name came out in a sigh, though she was still turned around… he expected a nasty face he'd find her to give Logan, of course, it wasn't the case: she was actually a bit confused once spun around, "Why act like so last night?"

            "Oh that… oh… I thought I did something bad…" The nervous squiggling line that was his mouth had blossomed into a relieved smile… of course, Tora was still a bit more concerned.

            "Well… why _did_ you do it?"

            Kurt's smile is wiped off a bit by her persistence, but it was only to come back ten-fold once he remembered why he did do it, "Oh! Remember vhen you vhanted me to prove that Logan's got a thing for you? I did it!"

            "Only thing you proved to me is that you piss him off as easily as I do…" Her head falls over to one side slightly, a brow raised and her arms began to fold together.

            "Think about it, Tora. He didn't really say anything until I kissed you, then he got really mad!" he practically jumps up and down saying this, praying Tora will see the situation as he did.

            "Kurt, he just an idiot and get pissed off at everything… but now I know your reason behind it so… let's eat." With a smile and the toss of her hair, she flips around and dashes herself back towards the kitchen, and, even though left in the dust, Kurt shakes his head with a grin and follow at his on pace.

            Sitting back down to his chair at the long table, Kurt looks up and snatches the plate of bacon from Tora, whom sat directly across from him. Tora, in turn, snatches the gravy boat from Oasis and smothers her golden biscuits in the lumpy liquid. Oasis smiles and skims her eyes at random allies of the table, swiping a strand of her long hazel hair from his dazzling yellow eyes. Her gaze first centered on the new girl Fyer, the Dragon half-Breed that, unlike Tora, could not morph from human to animal. She would always keep the same looks, in fact, Oasis would as well, her tail looping around a chair leg and her wings tucked to her backside.

            Next to be watched was Kurt, happily flicking hash-brown bit's Tora's way, who purely snickered and put and arm over her face as a guard. This act, however, did not please Logan, who sat next to, and unhappily, Tora. He was subjected to the ricocheted food bits and didn't like it bit. Remy was swiftly eating and glancing at the clock uneasily, eyes darting back and forth from food to time… his problem was uncared, the eyes of Oasis Kaysa shifted to Scott. He ate across from a ranting Logan, trying not to get hit by the hash-brown bits as well.

            Finally, she set her sights on Xavier, the only peaceful looking one at this whole table. Out of Scott, Tora, Kurt… and all the other X-Men and students, he was the most tranquil, as if he didn't see or hear any of the events happening around him. That man was one in a million… Oasis could safely say.

            "Tora! If you don't stop flinging those damned potatoes I swear to God-"

           "Oh shut up Logan…" With a sneer and a snicker, Tora leans over the table and collected a handful of hash-browns, dumping them on Logan's head, "Get sense of humor…"

            "Get an English dictionary… stupid cat…" his hand scoops up most of the bits, shaking off the rest, and tossing it to Tora who simply snickered and gathered what she could to toss at Kurt. Cleaning his oiled palm with a creatively decorated cloth napkin, Logan picks up the newspaper set before him, jerking it open and soaking up the world's news.

            Remy… was quite done eating, finished so much earlier than the others… which was very out-of-character for a goof-ball such as himself. No one looked as if they cared, at least, none other than Oasis, and even then she wasn't _that_ particularly concerned. What, at last, drew attention to him was the fact to tried to escape the kitchen in a hurry, and tripped over the chair with a deafening crash.

            Many stood up, a few rushed to him-Oasis for one, Tora for another.

           "Oh hell, that had to hurt…" Oasis was kneeling at his side in a heartbeat, her eyes flowing from gold to a dark green.

            "I… I need tah ge' aw'y from h're…" he knocked his head quite hard on the tilted floor, his dazed expression proof enough.

            Xavier came rolling up to the side opposite of Oasis, giving his hand out to help Remy sit upright and run his pounding head, "What do you mean Remy…?"

            "I need… tah…" the sentence ending in a painful groan, the only reason his head was up was from his hand supporting it.

            Xavier checks sight with Oasis, who plainly shrugs, mouthing the words '_I don't know_'. Charles reaches and arm out to assist Remy once more to his feet, but a thunderous hammering halfway across the building took all their attention away, Remy having the last few words before many of the allies dash off to see what on Earth was happening, "Oh shit…"

            Kurt disappeared in a flash of indigo mist, Logan leaped right onto the table, plates clattering and food flying as he rushed to defense. Slipping on his crimson visors, Scott headed after the two already before him. The others stay back for now, but figure if it's anything nasty, they'll be needed.

            "Logan!" Kurt shouts looking out one of the colossal front-windows, "your best buddy is out there, and he brought friends…"

            "Oh really…" slightly shoving his way beside Kurt to peer through the glass, he first notes that exceedingly obnoxious dumbass, Sabretooth… so Kurt was right… aside now from the urge within him to kill that fucker awakened, he spotted the 'buddies', as blue-boy so bluntly put it. Pyro and that weird-o Magneto. What the hell where they doing here? No… a better query would be what the hell did the X-Men do to them for them to attack?

            "Get out here, ass hole!" Creed growls, finding Logan's frowning face peeking through the towering window, "I'll bust through that window and kick your ass!"

            "Right…" Logan snickers to himself and pushes Nightcrawler from the window and, though he fell to his hind, it would soon prove his intentions meant well, "Fuck you Creed!"

            This was trailed by his middle finger pointing high above the other curled fingers and a wicked grin carved to his lips. Logan took a step back, arms falling straight to their sides, the blades bursting from their sleep within his skin… his eyes didn't move from the window… which the question 'why' was answered upon the next heartbeat as blond half-man shattered the glass.

            "Holy hell!" Kurt struggled to crawl backwards, away from flying glass and the beast breaking in.

            "No kidding…" Logan dashed backwards, his back curling over and his arms out with the blades pointing to the ceiling, "What the hell are you and your fuck-o squad doing here?"

            "I didn't come for you, stupid ass…" the words were a mixture of snarls and grunts and the flow of human tongue.

            "Oh that's a first… doesn't mean I'm not going to rip you a new hole, however…" the Wolverine charges at the blond beast, the silver talons pointed directly at his heart.

            "Fuck off, I ain't here for your sorry ass!" Sabre drops to the floor, laying on flat on his stomach to dodge the ignorant and unplanned attacking of Logan.

            "Shit! I'm out of here!" Kurt just barely blurts out the words without stuttering and makes his power reasonably useful, and disappearing from the room, only to shock everyone in the kitchen by reappearing on the dinning table, "Professor! Sabretooth is out there and he's not here to kill Logan! Oh God, and Magneto and Pyro are out there too! This sucks!"

            This came as horrid news for most, but others, such as Tora, Oasis, and Fyer had no idea what trouble they'd fallen into. Obviously, for Kurt, it's nothing but a fling of shit a fan, as he freaks out and ran about frantically on the table.

            "Kurt, calm down! I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle," The professor did his very best to calm Kurt, who was hanging from the ceiling chandelier and shaking his head.

            "Exactly Kurt, we've been through worse…" Scott added himself in, but for a good reason.      

            "Yea… like a big'ol flame!" Echoes of immoral laugher ringing throughout the kitchen walls, another foe stepping into the scene and pointing his flame-finger right in Kurt's fuzzy face.

            "Ack! Pyro!" Kurt disappeared from his hanging position and was found standing next to Tora, growling suddenly, as if gathering Tora's anger.

            "G'dai… I'm sure you people know who I am… I'm 'ere for the head of a certain…_vision_-impaired freak, eh?" Extended index finger in crimson gloves points to Scott, a menacing grin curling on his face following it.

            Membrane wings of jade sprout from the backside of Pyro, a tail matching the same emerald scales whipped around wildly… Pyro, a Dragon? A fire-breathing beast had he become? Surprise would soon prove them wrong, as Fyer showed herself coming to the rescue, her balled fist jabbing swiftly into the back-neck of Pyro, "Not _my_ allies…"

            "Kick his ass, Fyer!" Kurt cheers, clearly over-stimulated by the situation, jumping from one emotion to the next like bold lightning.

            Fyer did just that, because her first punching came as a rapid shock, it gave her the upper-hand in the small battle. Stumbling, Pyro, once regaining balance, whips around and threatens the Dragon by pointing his flame finger in her face, not once did Fyer flinch.

            "Oh… so you're a fire-freak, huh… I can deal with that…" a smile tugged at the side of her cheek, a deliciously evil smile that, though it took the Pyro by surprise, didn't seem to bother him too much.

            "And what does a _Dragon_ plan to do about it?" Not one to back down, the man call Fyer's 'bet' by slapping a smirk to his own face, ready to turn her fire-breath right back at her… hell… was he in for a _shock_.

            Indeed, for when Fyer lifted her wings high, small flashes of energy in lightning-form zipped between them, her claw-molded hand reaching out for the face of the fire-man, and the last thing he heard was her smooth voice, "Now feel the force of energy…"

            Sprung from the table and locked onto the wall with immense power, Fyer, grinning, shocked him with a thunderous element letting him fall to his fate to pass out. Fyer had many tricks up her sleeve… fire-breather, icicle-spitting, electro-shooter… a Dragon of many talents.

            She offhandedly walks across the table and flutters down from it, her shadow looming over a fainted Pyro, "Don't fuck with the Dragon…"

            Cheers, hoots and hollers roared in the kitchen, everyone clapping for Fyer's great ass-stomping and for her hidden abilities of electro-shock.

            "Don't fuck with the Dragon eh… well don't fuck with the Saber-toothed Cat!" Besides is booming voice, Sabre was able to snatch the room's attention by slamming a bloody and fainted Logan on the table.

            "When will it end!?" Oasis keeps one hand on Remy, who portrays to be knocked out for reasons soon to be known, her other hand rubbing her forehead in annoyance.

            _To be concluded…_


	5. To Punish

            "_Logan…?_" Tora took herself right to her feet, tossing herself on the table-head down.

            "What the hell do you want with Scott?" Oasis found her feet as well, not doing much but throwing questions out, for in the corner of her eye she saw Tora's fur growing, her body transforming with animal-like features… she was going to open the cage to the tiger within her.

            "He's got a hit on him…" Sabre snarled, snatching Scott's arm and shoving others out of the way.

            "Then vhy is Magneto here?" Kurt barked out his inquiry, the short furs on his back standing on end like a cat's would.

            "_I_ am here to make sure the job is preformed without interference…" speak of the spawn of hell and he shall appear, for Magneto creeps out from the shadows, arms crossed, head lowered.

            Tora didn't wait longer, pressing her once human face up to reveal the feline snout it had grown, orange, brown, and white fur now covered her body, the stripes rippling over her, pale whiskers twitching on her snout. Once she opened her jaws and her rose tongue rolled to speak, her voice had grown into a deep snarl, "_I'll swipe your HEAD OFF!_"

            Her anthromorphic body lunged at Sabre, but for all intensive purposes, her human train of thought had vanished. Onyx talons dug into the board chest of Creed, pulling down, her face roaring in his with massive fangs. Those very fangs were next to pierce flesh on his neck, her head tossing to rip the skin and taste the sweet blood. Tora's tiger form was her most dangerous, wild it was, and irrational. Sure, she was larger than any normal tiger and much more intelligent-via the human side of her brain-but that didn't stop the great power of the Chinese beast waiting always to break down it's cage.

            Magneto didn't take light to Tora's outburst of fury… although he was awed on how she could center so much rage and turn it into brute power. All the forks and knives upon the kitchen's table rose into the air, the others shouting at Tora for her safety. However, by the time her dead-lock grip on Creed's neck had released and her head poked up to see what was happening around her, she was shoved off by knives diving into her and forks jabbing her fur and flesh. Her scream was basically sharp needles in the ears of those around her, but her will could not be broken by simple silverware, picking her body of fur and human-like curves up once more, only to clonked in the abdomen by a metal support beam, which Magneto had torn out of the wall.

            "That girl is quite feisty…" the beam hovered over her stressed body, ready for another beating should she charge at him or Sabre again, "…And persistent."

            Tora wasn't giving up, not with how much of her body's energy sucked away to morph into her current state, but that God damn metal beam but a hell-of-a dent on her bones. She didn't feel like getting them broken at the current moment. Not as strong, wild, or energy-grapping at her anthro-tiger body, Tora turns to the state she normally prances around in, the body of a human with black stripes of the wild beast, feline ears, and her tail. The flame of her will still roaring sturdily, but she had a different idea of how to attack those idiots now.

            "Get up Creed… we need to complete this job…" Magneto stands dark over the ancient cat, eyes narrow as he watches him roll over to sit himself upright and grasp his large hands at his neck, and coughing up small bits of blood.

            "I'm not doing anything until I get that bitch back for punchin' holes in my neck!" gawky ears peering out from dirty-blond locks were pined to his head, snarling, he pounces up and glares at the female feline, pinned to the floor by the threat of being smack by a metal support beam.

            The tiger wasn't her real face… she was shape-shifter… perhaps like Mystique? She certainly was taking her time to change into something more powerful than a tiger if she was… in fact, she still held slight resemblance to the big-cat: the stripes, the white hands and feet, her ears and tail… absolutely stunning green eyes raging with anger…

            As he came closer and bent his knees to see her face, his expressions softened, and the proposal of killing her faded, disappearing as she pulled her upper body up, ready to defend.

            Another feline, female, with the grace and mystery of the oriental tiger, and with all the beauty too. Why was such elegance holding onto such fury…? Carefully, so as not to scare her into snapping at his hand, he slipped an index and middle finger beneath her chin, lifting her head up some so as her face was at the exact angle as his.

           She growled, which was to be expected, and she jerks away, a string of her flowing black hair slipping over her face.

            She had no idea on Earth how utterly gorgeous she was… did she?

            "You… are…"

            "_NOW_ Koneko!" not letting him finish, she called to her white cub, who slams his jaws tight on the lion-like tail of Creed and pulls hard. Tails were a point of sensitivity in most animals, thankfully, this one was no acception.

            Tora was smart enough to zip off the floor and kneel behind Sabre, knowing Magneto would try and stop her with that beam and, not thinking it through first, would smack him instead.

            Grinning with satisfaction as the ancient feline fell on her, knocked cold-out by the beam, she uses him as protection from that beam, as well as a decoy for sneaking to Scott, ready to blast that metal controller right in the back.

            "Two down… one to go…" Scott muttered to himself silently, pressing the button beside his right eye and letting the scarlet beam of energy throw Magneto into a plastered wall.

            Tora no longer needed the brute for her, and her tiger cub's, protection, so with a snicker and an annoyed flick of one of her back ears, she stood fully up and dropped the brute, walking away and ignoring anything else he might of done.

            Unfortunately, the brawl wasn't at end yet.

            A hallow wall within the kitchen crumbled, Magneto, bent over showing just how hard Scott's ambush had hit him, busted past the wall and stumbled over to a seemly unconscious Remy, grapping him by the neck and holding up. Remy proved he was faking the fainting, as he squirmed and clawed his hands at Magneto's.

            "Damn it Remy, kill him yourself… I'm not going to risk my life over your imbecilic favors anymore!" And with those terms ringing in Remy's ears, Magneto dropped him, floating out of the kitchen, after collecting Pyro, and picking up Creed and leave… as if he had done nothing wrong.

            Of course, all the pair of eyes in the room now were focused on Remy, even Tora and Scott, who dashed into the kitchen upon hearing the echoes of the wall crashing. All he could say was a muttering of '_Oh hell…_'.

            In the den, the lights on, many sat together, but Remy sat alone, his head lowered. The others, Tora, Scott, Oasis, and Kurt were all waiting on the professor to speak first before they tarred n' feathered him.

            "Remy…" Charles spoke his name in a sigh, both highly confused and disappointed on what he did, like a father upset on his son's suspension from school, "You… asked Magneto, of all people, to _kill_ Scott?"

            "Yea… I did."

            "Well that stupid as hell…" Tora sat on the left arm of the sofa, and, although Scott wasn't her first pick in 'best-friends', she was attached to all her allies in general.

            Kurt nodded his azure head to Tora's remark… she could swear was like a little copy-cat son, of course she knew better than to think that way for fear of Mystique.

            Scott sat with his arm stretched out on Oasis' shoulder, which didn't help Remy any, for that was basically the whole reason why the hit was put on him.

            "When did you plan it…?" Sadly, Oasis fidgets with the golden ring looped around the tip of her tail, watching her tinted reflection being help captive in the luster.

            "A week ago…" he lied quickly, thinking of just the right situation he could pin this on so he wouldn't be mocked for his actions… not like Logan and Tora, "After our fit over the crashed car…"

            Oasis groaned and shrugged Scott's arm off, coming close to tossing it off harshly. Standing, she points her index finger right in Remy's face, which finally gets him to do something other than sit there and look depressed, "God, you are so immature…"

            "Tha' fuckin' rep'ir cost mah' six-hundrn' bucks!" He becomes enraged, not quite sure if it was to keep up the act, or from the though of her giving him a cold shoulder.

            "Shove it up your ass…" Pointer finger safely tucked away by now, her legs had shifted her body around and took her swiftly from the room, her hair swaying left to right as she hurried out, groaning with disgust.

            Oasis trudges by Logan, his hair ruffled by blood-stained wraps, as is his neck. He wanders in, pulling on the white wrapping to reveal perfectly healed skin.

            "I heard most of that…" fully taking himself into the dim area and balling the bandages in his huge hands, "Oasis should practice what she preaches…"

            Tora doesn't move, knowing damn well what exactly he meant, for Kurt's room was only a door away from hers, and when Oasis made her loud remark to him, perhaps all the rooms within a five-door radius could hear. Besides Kurt's uncharacteristic movements of choice last night (although answered), what stern-minded Oasis had to address on the Tigress' augments with Logan confused her. _Make-out_? She didn't even know what on God's corrupted Earth that was. For all she knew, the damned word meant to make him a coup of tea. Tora had only learned this horrendous language of English three months ago… not even taught properly, hell, a German who first immigrated to this land without a droplet of saliva to speak English taught her, so that said something bold about both herself and that blue fuzz-ball. Tora, making a brainless move, right-out, as she sat square before the professor, Scott, who within his annoyance fiddles with his shoelaces, Kurt, Remy, and worst of all to be before, Logan, blurts out a _particular_ question, "Professor Xavier, what is 'make-out'?"

            Was that ever the strangest moment of the day, for Tora at least. Her first glance to the Professor, who why blankly staring at her in sheer shock. Of course, he could understand that such a lady as herself, created only four years ago and suddenly bombarded with the slang of the modern day English, had trouble spots for this was not her mother tongue.

            Not having a verbal response from Charles, she lets her eyes wander to Kurt and Logan, who's once glum faces had become a number of red and pink blush tones, the only difference being Kurt trying not to chuckle and Logan so uncomfortable he could shoot himself.

            Next was Scott, who snatched her attention by falling off the sofa with non-stop laughter, arms holding sides for fear they'd snap. Remy would be doing the same, that is, if he had about as little knowledge on Tora as Scott had. Rather, he just bit on his bottom lip, eyes squinting as he kept pounding laughter in his throat.

            The feline's head shifted in each one of their directions quickly, no trace of blush, hesitation, embracement, nothing… she obviously had no idea how funny her query was, "I say something wrong…?"

            "No, you _would_ ask a question like that…" Logan retorted, holding a palm over his face for numerous reasons.

            "I vhill tell her!" Kurt jumped at the opportunity to explain modern-day sex expression to Tora… although Charles wasn't ecstatic with the idea-much less was Logan-neither had time to stop the blue one from whispering it in her animal ear. On the point of her ears, each word softly uttered into the left one brought them lower and lower.

            "Oh…"

            At last, her cheeks grew hot with the rush of warm blood into them, the skin feathering lightly into a deep red. She replays the voice of Oasis in her running mind, now knowing what the words meant, she analyzed the sentenced. Black brows arch down as she skims over it for a final time, the idea of smacking Oasis right in the face not a bad one to her.

            "I would rather die on plane crash…" her tone was deep, which would compare only to Logan's irritation to the identical subject.

            "Yea? And I would rather fuck a transsexual…" his arrogance refused someone such as the Tigress to slip in the last few words, at least in this case.

            _To be concluded…_


	6. To Fear

            The day was right for the taking, as a new weekend drew near. Few days after Tora's bold questioning, the chains of school-life clasped around the younger students for two days. Freedom for them was spent wisely, either studying, sleeping, eating, making mischief and mayhem wherever they please, goofing-off with close buddies, or anything else a lazy teenager could plan upon the spur-of-the-moment.

            Kurt's Saturday was spent bumming along-side Tora and Oasis, two of his funny-buddies, as they lingered around the city-side shops.

            Oasis could hide her wings beneath a beige over-coat, the length of it apparent as the tips flowed centimeters above cold concrete. The tail was looped around her lean waist, the golden ring tightly placed on her tail tip depicting as a belt-buckle. The rest over her body was underneath a white tube-top, the edges frilled, and her thin legs brushing upon tan cargos, zippers and pockets galore.

           Tora had slipped herself into a deep red Chinese-dress, black strings were tied just under her left shoulder, the dress, short as a skirt, was cut very short on her legs, but not unbelievably short enough to draw attention to prowling men mistaking her for a prostitute.

            Besides that, she could easily be mistaken for a human, for she had forced her body to present a true-human form. The flowing hair stretching to the end of her back and beginning of her hind was no longer the dark gray it normally was. Jet black hair shimmered beneath sunshine rays. No stripes, to tiger ears or tail, no walking on the ball of her foot, she stood like any other woman would.

            Her raven hair wasn't the only thing different in her looks as a human. Her eyes were no longer a bright, sparking flash of lime-green. Now they were dark, hazed, deep brown.

            Kurt's digital watch made up for his looks, the hologram of skin had worked well for him many-a-time in the past, and this action was not something he was about to stop now. However, it _was_ a hologram, and just that, it didn't make up for the short furs on his body, which Tora often pestered him about. His long tail was kept just like Oasis': wrapped tightly around a small waist, acting as a belt.

            "Tora! Over there! A Chinese restaurant!" Oasis about had a fit, although she often did for many things in a sarcastic way.

            "Right, like I be caught dead at American restaurant where they dish up China food…" Tora would never insult a country were society was free to speak it's mind-and, clearly, she was no exception-but Kurt had spoken much on relations of Oriental foods and MSG in America.

            "Then vhy not try Germany?" a skin-toned, yet fuzzy, finger darted at a pastry shop, the name _Süsse Träume_ evidently leading to it's German roots, "_Lassen Sie uns gehen, jetzt_!"

            Kurt took off like a cheetah for pray, leaving confused ladies behind him, both neither knowing the European uttering that came from him just now. Their legs pumped as they followed him, twisting the shop-doorway corner and crashing into each other as Kurt, in awe, notes everything in the shop. The country's flag hung from the ceiling, images of his mother country were lined on each wooden wall, the smell of foods freshly baking giving the store the perfect touch, "_Haupt…_"

            The owner approached the glass counter, below her all the beautiful sweets lay on display. She brought a smile, her elder face happy to see customers taken by her art of pastries, "What can I get for you, eh?"

            Never letting a moment to let his true tongue speak pass by, he was joyful to order in German words, hoping she'd reply back as so, "_Wundervoll! Mag ich etwas Schokolade Käsekuchen haben?_"

            The elder woman stood for a second, surprised. Had she known her German kin would wander in, she would have whipped up ten chocolate cheese cakes, "_Selbstverständlich!_"

            The woman dashed off to the back, behind silver ovens and yeast mixers, while Kurt rocked on his heels, the greatest grin stretching on his face from the pleasure of knowing he could be his German self so close to the institute.

            "U-uh…" Oasis had her jaw open a few inches, unpainted nails scratched scalp under brown locks of silk-like hair, "Y-you don't have any idea what they just said… do you Tora?"

            Tora had her face similar to Oasis'… until that _brilliant_ question was stuttered from her lipstick-tinned lips. All in silence, she pulled a napkin from it's dispenser, snatching the pen taped to the counter for checks and swiftly scribbling on it. The ball-point was gently set back to it's home on the counter, Tora spinning herself right back around and slapping the napkin in the flat palm of Oasis… not that she could read what it said…

是。.. 我讲德语。.. 愚笨。

            The aged woman now handed Kurt a small box, the sweets of chocolate cheese cake he had ordered the prize within. Even though tied to his waist, the spear-like tip of his tail tapped on the rest of it, his way of blissfully wagging without getting caught for the mutant he was.

            Jittering from excitement-it had been ages since he had last let his taste buds brush on chocolate cheese cake-prying fingers opened the triangular box as soon as it was handed to him, a rose tongue tapping his lower lip.

            Little did this fuzz-ball realize both his allies leaping at him, one aimed at his legs, the other at his back, tackling him to the ground, the cake flipping from it's box and splattering on the white tiled floor. His next train of thought was to truly bitch on what in hell they had done, but the reason for their sudden outburst was soon answered as a BMW car tore the support beams like paper and shattered through the glass. The vehicle flew straight through the shop, little left holding up the roof and, to say the least, the shingles were last to fall on the three.

            Dust settled, people gathered, and a long pause befell the area before anyone pulled their body from the devastation.

            Oasis was first, trying to free herself from her over-coat, snagged on broken glass, wood, and whatever else this once cozy shop was made of. It ripped, getting to her goal a different way than she wanted.

            It was pointless to keep the shredded coat on her much longer, her wings fluttering on her body and blurting out to the huge and still gather group of spectators she was a mutant.

            Tora came second, her body back to looking it's normal way: human body, black stripes, hair not pitch black, eyes of green, tail, ears… she had morphed to withstand the blast and now saw what a costly mistakes that was. The group once gawking at Oasis with sneering lips and angry eyes put it's attention on Tora, such shouting as '_Another one!_' and  '_They fuckin' planed a terrorist attack!_' were heard.

            "You idiots!" Oasis just couldn't help herself, it seemed. Her shouts were thrown at the gathering of normals, her balled fist swiping at them as they gathered crumbled remains of the building and chucked them at her.

            Kurt's body was last of the three to find it's way through the mess, lines of red bodily liquid traced down the side of his face, startling at the roots of his hair strands. It took him a moment to stand upright, thought, in the end, it was pointless as a bit of rubble landed upon his shin, his upper-torso fell over.

            His digital projector had been smashed to hell, no wonder they hurled stones upon him as they did with Tora and Oasis. One smoldering selection of wood flung at him ricocheting from his forearm, which was guarding his forehead for that exact reason, "V-vhat are you all doing?!"

            "_God! What a fuckin' horrid creature!_" Kurt would stop to note the public's remarks on his blue physique, but for the time being, he was too busy trying not to get more blood to drain from his skull by flying rocks.

            "What the hell are you people doing?! I _know_ you dumb asses have seen mutants before!" Oasis, as well as Tora, stepped themselves backwards as a mob formed, one on either side of Kurt, who's blood wept from his head.

            "_We're never had _terrorist_ mutants!_" A deep man's voice boomed above the rest, his tone wanting to roar and assert that he was going to take charge of the freaks, but a true bellow from the wild Tora put him back in his shallow place, her K-9 teeth growing in as her body took shape of a tiger.

            Tossing his head, as well as a number of crimson droplets upon Tora's arm, Kurt's blurred eyes bounced at face-less normals, stones, smoldering wood, or metal beams in their hands, ready to beat down their better half in the evolution chain. Terrorist? What…? All he wanted was to taste simple chocolate cheese cake from a pure German much as himself, he never wanted the corruption of irrational thought and judgmental actions, "I just vhaned cheese cake…"

            "_Shut up, freak!_" yet another man dared to step up to plate and challenge the mutants: one wounded and in dire need of care, the others mercilessly protecting him like mothers. The man was dragging something from the wreckage, something humanoid. The body was tossed over the man's board shoulder, a thick finger pointing at the three, "You're not getting your damn way out of a homicide!"

            "_Homicide!?_" Kurt shuttered at the word, knowing full well what it meant.

            "We didn't cause this you fucking idiots! We just wanted to eat!" Oasis persisted her cries of anger, she was ready to blast into battle, ready to stomp on the sinful asses of the disapproving.

"_Ich tat nicht nichts! Lassen Sie mich leben, zu gefallen!_" Kurt came crashing to his already scraped-up knees, tri-fingered hands reached out to the crowd as his blood-tainted lips spouted out native words.

Tora's body was beside Kurt's within a heartbeat, a huge white feline paw resting on his head with utmost care, though her roar and bared fangs to the crowds told her she wouldn't be so soft on them. Like all times when she stands before others as a anthro-tiger and speaks, her voice his low, deep, and powerful. It was, however, in this case, unpredictably calm, "_...We had nothing to do with this… now… for all we know you people framed us…_"

"Like we'd try and destroy our own city!" Tigress' attempts to bring this to a peaceful resolution were overlooked entirely… not something she took to kindly, as the flame of rage within her began to blaze.

"I know as God as my witness-"

"_Our lord doesn't find you as _people_, you're freakish demons!_" The rants continued to step on Oasis' words, it would seem the mob wouldn't listen to them, the psycho-Christians they appeared to be.

"_How is judging us make you any better in God's eyes_?" Tora hadn't given up her strength to the crowds just yet either, although she did safeguard Kurt, who had.

That shut their shouting mouths up fairly well, if Tora and Oasis were to ignore the fact mutters and murmurs of quite dark words ran wild in the circling normals. Kurt pushed his body up upon Tora's, his mind utterly lost in a confusion maze as it often was… but never to the point where his limbs quivered scarcely and clear tears from his eyes mixed with those crimson tears from his wound. It was just too fast for him, not only that, but it seemed to attack so much more than the already damaged respect of his mutant identity: this was a assault at his memories of his German lands, the land where he grew, the circus where his skills became his trade-markings, the people who once watched him only to swerve back around and attempt to burn his body at the stake. It would be the same way for Tora or Oasis, if their weak-point where to be placed under stress, he was sure they'd fall to their knees as well. He had found a place where he could feel at home, and in an instant, it was taken from him.

Of course, the question at hand was exactly who? Who took it from him? Who smashed it to crumbling bits by slinging a car in here like it where a rock?

"It _had_ to be you three! We don't have… powers or… whatever to destruct buildings! You three were in it last!" Persistence was their strong point, needless to say.

"You all are just a bunch of stubborn-"

"_Silence!_" 'Interrupt Oasis day' was still going without a hitch, for it had happened a number of times to her today… this would be the last. A fresh figure was rapidly flung into the previously _great_ situation, his body looming over the edge of a petite store once nestled beside the German bakery. He was painted in black shadow, or at least the front half of him was, as the sun spread it's bright arms behind him. As a snarl emerges from his dark face, his lion-tail whipped out wildly, the glitter of white fangs becoming visible.

Oasis could hold her breath no longer, not wanting to for this foe anyways. It was released in a odious groan, knowing _exactly_ who it was by those fangs, and not liking one damn bit of it, "Oh great, Sabretooth… that's _all_ we need now…"

_To be concluded…_


	7. To Lust For

            "Oh shut up whore, I ain't here for you…" his head was tossed so locks of gold would not fuzz his sight any, the Sabre-Cat locking his deep crimson eyes on a female feline counter-part, "I've come to collect a better woman…"

            The words he choose to speak were both alarming and utterly confusing, this being shown in the movements and actions of Oasis and Tora, Oasis asking bluntly 'What the hell does he mean by that shit?' and Tora plainly shrugging.

           The beast lowered his ears to have easy access to zipping between wind strands and began his leap from the rooftop, to the rubble, and finally, pouncing perfectly on both feet, behind defensive Tora.

            Her body morphed from the more tiger-like state to that of the human with triangular stripes, the energy needed to sustain the form vanishing, that, and the sudden grasp of her hands behind her back and her body pressed up to the front side of Sabre. She  pressed the ebony ears sprouting from her head flat on her equally black hair… which didn't help her any as she would soon find out.

            The huge hands of Creed just slipped softly up her slender wrists, strands of blond hair fell onto Tora's right shoulder side, his chin was next to rest upon her supple shoulder, a tan feline ear brushing on a black one, "Do that again… it's very sexy… but I'm sure you know that well…"

            Silence flowed throughout the massive crowd, no answer the twisted situation presented to them by their minds, a new mutant came, proving the other three's innocence (as they had been shouting at them the entire time), and now he latches Tora to himself and ignorantly flirts with her… Oh how things seemed to change so swiftly at times.

            "Oh this is bullshit, the 'mighty' Creed don't court… what the hell does Tora have that you want, you fuckin' bastard." Oasis had something to sputter, disbelieving any idea that such a heartless jackass like Creed actually grew a liking to any type of female.

            "I swear to God, you better let go or I fuckin' rip head off," She snarled, squirmed, and she screamed, but nothing would loosen his tight hold on her wrists, and nothing took his body off of hers… she could tell that, with no trouble.

            "So…" the crowd regroups, spreading more mutters and sudden outburst became common once more, "These three planned it, and used the fourth to take action!"

            "Oh God damnit…" Oasis let words roll from her tongue in a tired sigh.

            "Vhy don't you people listen to anything vee say?" stumbling legs took Kurt upwards, though, he also had to use the support of his arms to keep his body from falling to the broken concrete, "That… that asshole did everything! He has taken one of us three hostage… vhat more do you people vhant us to do to prove our innocence?"

            Happy to see Kurt's tangle of fear and confusion beginning to straighten, Oasis dashes backwards to his side, her hand reached out to snatch a three-fingered one and pull it upward, "The Professor was right, you people just can't admit to when you're wrong…"

            "Yes! I just love having this idiot titan hold me like prisoner!" Tora's sprit was not yet broken, and her body wriggled around wildly in Sabre's hold.

            "_Idiot titan_?" As if the impossible hadn't already shown it's crazy face by now, his voice was soft, questioning her words as if offense was taken.

            "Yes… _let me go_!" Tora kept at it, being held captive was something of a weak point for her, for she hated it above everything in life.

            That was the secret to pissing him off, at least if it came from that particular tigress. His head instantly rose from her shoulder, followed by growls and glinting fangs.

            While Tora struggled for her freedom and crushed an ego that of Creed, the normals inched inwards again, one slipping between the nameless people, a butcher, lucky enough for him to be within the right place at a good time. Blood from necks of ducks and chickens stained his pale apron, though somewhat old from the swirls of brown, and drew himself closer with a square blade normally used to chop heads of the poultry named.

            "Hey, get the hell back with that damn thing!" Oasis still tried to confront the mindless normals the way Charles would want, but she was finding such people were difficult to compromise with when full of fright and uncertainty.

            "Shut it, bitch!" the butcher threw his massive weight into tossing Oasis aside, the blade raised, sunbeams bouncing from the metal and ready to swipe at a pin-pointed location of Kurt's neck.

            His golden eyes widened as the term 'think-fast' became very clear. Speared tail was first to phase into blue smog, the rest of him wasn't far behind, the smoke engulfing his body as quick as it has ever done, and his mind set on appearing near Tora and helping her out whatever he could. He seemed to make it, the blade slipping easily through thin smoke and air where his navy neck had once been.

            Where was he? Did he appear on a rooftop? He was nowhere to be seen immediately after his disappearance trick… which was an interesting thing to happen. Worse yet was still to be seen by Tora, though Oasis noted it, "Oh shit, Kurt!"

            Tora was motionless, the words 'Oh' and 'shit' used in the same sentence of discomfort always a sign of a horrid future.

            Finally smog of cobalt spread in the air before her and Creed holding her wrists. Just as his solid skin began form in the smoke, a liquid splattered to the concrete bits, and just before Kurt fell to his knees and wrapped his hand around his gasping neck, Tora noted the fluid's bright, unmistakable color of red. He didn't transport in time? How? She saw his body morph into haze just has the knife-_that knife_!

            The metallic blade was lined thinly with a streak of crimson, the butcher glaring at Kurt with slight content for what he did, as if the hand of God guided his horrid actions.

            Tora could feel her heart sink into the dank pit of her stomach, her lime eyes having to witness the only humanoid creature to hold every bit of her trust, to watch the fluid keeping him alive drain from his neck and pour onto cold cement and metal support bars. He taught her English, he put up with her constant bitching, he was there when her rare tears would flow… and now he was hacking up droplets of his own blood and struggling to keep his body from collapsing on the rubble.

            She was slipping, her body was slowly inching away from Sabre, his grip on her wrists becoming light. His eyes darted between Tora and Kurt, taking in the sadness lining Tora's eyes in a crystal-like water form. Normally, a man such as himself would have taken a very evil delight in seeing a woman cry, but to see a creature so much like himself, the only minor thing separating them was gender… and tears roll down her flawlessly stunning face.

            He let her go freely, letting her fall to the rubble and crawl beside Kurt. She was quite hasty in her movements, her palm sealed over the slice deep in Kurt's thin neckline, her chin was shivering on his forehead, jerking up and down slightly as she would pause between her tears and breathing.

            How could she just let the very thing who showed her not all people were heatless bastards slip through her fingers. She couldn't think of it that his smiling face would only be seen in her fading memories.

            Why did they do this? Why Kurt? He wasn't even yelling at them… he hid from them, it was all to quick for him, so he tried to escape. Why couldn't the knife dig itself into the throat of Creed? He was the God damned one who started all this, his arrogance framing all of them in a painful mess, and now Kurt lay dying in her week arms. Tora let all this play and replay itself in her mind, every time all the fingers of blame pointing behind her to Creed and his stupidity… it was his fault the normal people blamed the innocent, it was his fault the future for mutants now had thick layers of storm clouds gathering above, and it was his damned fault the only person she would trust her life into was drowning in his own blood.

            Her tears drying and her breath slowing, the hand not covering Kurt's gaping wound wiped the dampness from her face some, leaving behind a horizontal smear of blood and small blue fur strands. She was so very hesitant to take her eyes off Kurt, even for just a moment to protect her own well-being, but a different sense was raging within her like fire on gasoline. The ashen locks upon her head smoothly fell over her backside as her head began to turn in Creed's direction, however, her eyes were still deeply fixed on Kurt-his neck especially, "This your fault… I bet you are glad to see others suffer."

            "I'm not the one with the knife!" His retort just barely passed by as deep and harsh, he knew damn well it was all his fault for making such a disaster, but it would be a frosty day in the seventh layer of hell before his denials stopped.

            "This _is_ your fault! All of it! You started it, if you were not here to be God damned big-shot and break the building, life would have gone on in peace and the only thing I ever loved and trusted would still be alive, you bastard!" Tora had no problem glaring her flaring green eyes at him now, her fangs were bared and her voice was a notch below a roar. Squinted eyes were met with a snarling face, the blood glinting on her skin as she would speak.

            Everything completely stopped. No breathing, no speaking, no wind, no sound, no movement… nothing happened. She was right, after all, for if he hadn't stepped in on their glorious day, all three would have went home pleased, no one would have persecuted them, and all would have come back alive.

            It was odd… she had such a hard effect on him… Oasis could only watch this in awe as Creed would bark at Tora, and she would only snap back with a greater force… and for once, he would step back from the approaching fight. She had never seen him put his pride aside for anything other than himself, yet here before her now he was, actually looking upset had what he had just done. Oasis didn't believe in miracles, but something deep had happened here… that she defiantly couldn't look over.

            At last the dead silence was shattered. The wind-whipping of helicopter blades pierced the ears of the many people below it, the breeze kicking dust into their faces. When everyone else held an arm over their eyes, Tora simply lowered her head from the wind, having both her hands curling over Kurt's soiled neck-not wanting anything to infect it. Strands of her hair whipped in many directions, her tail curled into the curves of Kurt's leg.

            Thick fingers looped around her crimson-tined arm, almost slipping from the liquid but regaining it's tight grip, now tugging her upwards. She tried to struggle free, not wanting to move her hands off of his throat and have sand grains etch their way in his body tissues, and jerked her head up quickly, hoping her lengthy hair wouldn't blow too wildly in her eyes.

            Apart from the aircraft and the rope ladder dangling from it, her rescuer was blocking the sunlight, one hand grasping her arm and the other on Kurt's. His face was hidden in shadow and streams of energy in light form passed.

            "Tora, c'mon… I've got Kurt…"

            The image of his face wasn't needed now, that voice was all she desired for information. By why wasn't he ripping Creed into shreds…?

            With a toss of her head, Tora darted her eyes in the small area where Sabre once stood and held her unwillingly. Nothing, no sign of him, or that his presence even occupied the area. He left… of course…

            Looking back to the shadowed rescuer, her eyes become blurred again with salt water, she couldn't help but weep once more as the curtain of rage departed when Creed did, "Logan, please! He's dying!"

            "I'm aware…" though his rudeness would normally anger her beyond all points, her attention was solely centered on Kurt's close death, so she tossed the remark over her shoulder and cautiously lifted herself, and Kurt, one hand on his neck, the other beneath his arm and supporting his body.

            Wobbling while walking from the angle of Kurt's limp body, Tora found it difficult to simply make it to the ladder and didn't know how Logan would expect her to climb it and keep more blood from spilling.

            The matter of getting up was soon to receive a response, her slender waist taken hostage by a strong arm pulling upwards. Tora held on to Kurt with all the might she had left, his face already pale she dreaded the idea of him falling, but couldn't help but to fight the great urge to writhe uncontrollably in the grip of Logan's arm.

            She liked it, as much as her mind would deny, and how uncalled for it was at the moment, but she couldn't run around the truth.

            _To be concluded…_


	8. To Cry For

            In the dim room, few sounds echoed on the smooth, white walls. One of the hissing life-supporter, another of the beeping heart monitor and the small green line showing his heat beating at a healthy pace, and the last and above all most depressing sound was of Tora's siren-like song.

            She was singing to Kurt, whether or not he could hear was unimportant to her. For two days she gave her beautiful voice to him, no one else heard but her and Kurt. For two days he had been on the mercy of medical science and the hopes of others, so many wires were poking from his neck to keep it from caving in on the open wound, a stiff ace-bandage had itself wrapped neatly over the wound, and for final touch, the commonly known cup-shaped item was stripped to his mouth and pushing air to lungs.

            Each day she'd sing him something new, the first song was the primary slice of music she heard in her lifetime, a song one of the woman scientists sung to her when she would strive to sleep in China, the second was one Fyer taught her, the language of Japanese not exactly far from Chinese, and it was easy to learn. The one she spoke now was one he had taught her, a simple one he had sung many times when she would cry for her motherlands.

            "_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine… you make me happy, when skies are gray..._" she would never look directly at his face… God how utterly miserable it was to see so many wires sprouting from his body and to know that's what was holding him away from the river of Styx. Tora could only look at his hand, the one she would tightly grip as her voice produced soft music, "_…So don't take my sunshine away._"

           Though she had been taught many-a-song, she never been taught to sing. She just knew, she could feel it in her body. The ability had been put within her body when she was created, it had always been there. Her voice was to be a weapon, as was her skill to produce flashy and erotic dances. She was made to be as dazzling as she could… she had to be to collect a certain someone's attention and fulfill her whole creation of assassination.

            No living creature had listened to her voice, no one had ever been with her as she poured her heart into musical form and released it in breaths. For all intensive purposes, Kurt couldn't hear in this case either, but it didn't seem to strike Tora in any way. She just kept calling in song, a new one each day, as if trying to please his soul to stay with it's body.

            Every-so-often Oasis, Remy or the professor would drop in and be with her, trying to set her free of this slump by assuring her he would live a long and healthy life… but just one look at his face… his neck… something about that entire picture screamed at her otherwise.

            What surprised her was how Logan treated the whole matter. She never left the room, the only reason she would was to put the restroom to good use and rush herself back to Kurt's bedside, continuing her songs (which would last all day). She never got herself food or water and didn't have the expectation of anyone else to get it for her, but every morning, evening and night, there was Logan with a dish and cup. Even if she had fallen asleep, her waking would be by the smell of food and the echo of foot steps.

            She didn't understand why him, of all people, brought her these things. She couldn't picture him actually putting his sense of pride away and giving her the essence to keep from growing weak. Was there no answer? Surely he hated every inch of her and waited impatiently for the day to see her give in to his arrogance… so why the act of kindness? It was out of his nature… at least when Tigress was included.

            Having trouble lingering on the subject, she just dismissed at as Charles forcing him to do it-he said no words when coming and going, it was a logical answer.

            Her voice began again, like a record stuck on a striking song, she sang for Kurt, her fair way of prying, her small hope that the closest thing to family for her would survive.

            Mysteries were a great part of life, even for these mutants. It was a mystery to Tora why Logan had such an unexpected stroke of sympathy to his ways, and it was a mystery for Logan why Tora would put so much heart into Kurt. All he ever did was annoy the hell out of people, mostly just to do it for the attention. He could be seen quite a bit around that woman, making her smile and laugh, giving her flowers… being there for her awful memories and comforting her when she was treated so insolently… by none other than himself.

            He taught her English, he showed her the city, he did everything Logan wanted to, but his damned ignorance told him not to. She had said so many times before how she loved that fuzz ball, she told stories of their sporting games and bragged on how adorable he was. Sure it was annoying to hear her drone on about that idiot elf… yet, there was something about the way she became attached to him the most, for whatever type of relationship, that couldn't keep him from feeling he missed out on getting a treasure and keeping it to himself.

            If he had stepped in, did every little thing Kurt had done down to letting her brush and style his hair, would she cry at his bedside and pray to a God she didn't even believe in to spare his soul? Would she come to him with the stories of her past looking for comfort? Would she have let him lovingly kiss her on the cheek? …Just as Kurt did?

            Such things ate viciously at his mind, not only for reasons of wanting the answers… but he didn't _want_ to think of Tora that way. He didn't _want_ her close to him, like she was to Nightcrawler, he didn't _want_ to see her weep for his life… he needed it.

            Why wouldn't she sing for anyone else? Why wouldn't she dance in sight of others? Why did she hide so many damn sexual things about herself? What was she afraid of?

            He could hear muffled things when he'd bring her dinner to eat, no words could be made out, but it didn't matter. The way she let her breath flow from her when she sang, the way her eyes would glaze with saltwater as she let the words pour from her spirit… he want to hear her, fully. That was something he did want from her, her voice. He wanted to listen to what a true song is, one from a broken heart… none of this modern shit were rappers foolishly sing like idiots about getting laid, or rockers bitching about how their punk girl ran off. He wanted to hear song that came from a wishful mind, he desired to hear something pure, something composed of untainted thoughts and sensation.

            Whether or not _she_ wanted to, he was going to get her to sing. For Kurt, for him, for herself, it didn't matter… as long as her voice rang softly.

            A cup of water in one palm, a petite plate of Vegetable Egg Foo Young Fyer especially made in the other, Logan drew to the door closely, knowing it was always slightly ajar for emergency such reasons, but rather than barging in as he generally would, he held the plates and food, taking note to her chant such a simple song with such emotion emphasized within it.

            "_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…_"

            He could remember Kurt singing that to her when she would watch rain fall outside with him. It was an ironic time to sing it… but, Logan supposed, since it was Kurt, it didn't have to make total sense.

            Just as her voice lowered and her song seemed to draw an end, she began it up once from, right from the beginning. Would she sing the same thing to him all day? Didn't it matter that there was no way he could hear? She was wasting such a Goddess-like voice on someone who wouldn't even hear it. It didn't make one bit of damn sense to him… he understood people coming to see those under life-support, he could understand why they might talk to them in a whisper, pray to them, or even shortly sing to them… but that was all she would spend her days doing? Sing to him and squeeze his hand, as if she were to let go, he'd die?

            As soon as he shoved the door open with his shoulder, she stopped dead in the very middle of the song. Her chin was resting on the cotton bed sheets, an arm in her lap, an one front of her face, fingers clutched to his hand.

            She looked outright miserable, which was to be expected. Only after did he set the cup and plate down on a small silver table beside the bed, did he speak to her, the first time in two days, "Do you sing to him all day?"

            Nothing about her moved, and she wasn't planning on giving an answer… still, his query was quiet and kind. He deserved an answer, "Yes, I do."

            Well, he had proof right from her mouth to fill in one question, all that was left was her reasoning behind it, "Why? He can't hear you."

            "Yes he can. Physically… no… he can't. His mind is asleep… I want to wake it without hurting him more," Her voice was lightly hoarse, three days of endless song would do that to a human's throat.

            "That's the most imbecilic thing I've heard all day…" he muttered the sentence without really thinking it through first, this becoming apparent as Tora grunted softly and tilts her face more towards the sheets. Her shoulders were scrunching together and jittering a tiny bit ever other second… normally these unplanned sentences were met with a head-snapping, this case was much more different for Tora had a broken spirit, "…But… whatever makes you feel better, works…"

            His guilt for causing her further tears was a bit more strange than the usually guilt-trip the professor might lay upon him. Perhaps it was the fact he was accustomed to getting into a verbal brawl, but now must be set with the reasonability of pushing more stress weight on her breaching collar bones. Perchance the problem wasn't anything, just the current moment of sadness reaching to everyone. Whatever the cause, he couldn't place a finger on it, and figured it was better left by it's lonesome.

            Her shoulder was cold, he learned this promptly as he placed his thick palm over it for comfort and a thin layer of apology. It didn't bother her, in fact, her head lifted and the small jerks of her shoulder stopped completely.

            "You and I both know it does not do shit…" This came out in a profound sigh, the reasoning behind Tora's sight resting on the neck and wires for the first time since the first day.

            Surprise took Logan as Tora spoke. Was she actually proclaiming about an idea of giving up? Tora, the stubborn bitch known for her unending temper and will never to lose a roaring blood-lust fight was truly saying she had given in?

            …Just how much of her heart did that elf take?

            "It's not like you to quit out on something…"

            "Is it like humans to riot…?" The question was out of sincerity, the feline having little to no contact with city-folk in a time of anarchy limited her understand on why they choose to point fingers and quest for their heads.

            "Normal people are stupid to us… they find us monsters and at times hunt us down. Most want to rid the world of us… why _you_ were a created mutant, I don't know," his explanation for a human wasn't so far off, a human has stages of panic in which when each stage is reached, the person will only lose more sense of thinking logically and reverting to basic (stupid) instinct.

            Humans wanted to rid all of her kind? She was created to be a mutant, yet the normal society of life wanted to wipe the Earth clean of mutants? As if that made any sense… humans were so overwhelmingly dense that they'd rather kill what they couldn't understand than try to peacefully make logic out of it? Is that the ignorance of a normal human? Jesus… that kind of arrogance surpassed even the pride of Logan… what kind of creature with the supposed highest-intelligence goes out of it's personal way to strike down something new, offering happiness and tranquility?

            This school was based upon trying to make peace with those humans… and on that thought and the memory of rioting crowds, it became clear to Tora on what an idiot she was to think this was her place in life. If all humans would act this way to her and the ones she held dear in her beating heart, there was no point to fighting for mutant freedom. People would never respect them, love them, treat them as equal. They would never damage their huge blanket of pride by admitting to their equality with mutants… if such similar things couldn't even happen between human races, how the hell could it ever happen between normal and mutant?

            It had become apparent: she was on a team fighting for a lost cause.

            "Logan… would you mind if I be alone?"

            "No… just keep a level head, alright?" His hand patted her shoulder as he drew himself away, the same hand curling on the copper door knob and closing it behind him.

            Moments passed before her head pulling straight up, the lower part of her right arm swept away tears and left a damp trail behind, "I can't stay here… this team will never win… I can't watch my family die…"

            _To be concluded…_


	9. To SoulSearch

            "It's been four days now… there must be something we can do," her eyes were of a blinding bright green… such as Tora's were (when not fully human), brows of a tan matching hair locks were arched down over them… Oasis spoke to Charles, she questioned him on how to approach Tora with the proposal of Kurt's passing.

            "Oasis, we've done what we could with Kurt, and it's quite obvious that Tora is very attached to him… all we can do is wait. In due time, you'll have your answer," the professor took his brown orbs up to her face, which was passing between frantic and annoyed swiftly.

            "If you ask me, little tramp's wasting her time… not that I'm surprised…" who other than Logan wouldn't stop to hesitate on such a unthought-of remark. A crinkling set of newsprint paper was within his grasp, the news being read while he listened to the discussion of Tora's sudden and alarming depression.

            "Yeah… yo' wou'd say ignorn't shit like that…" Remy snatched the papers, or what he could, from Logan's thick fingers, disgusted he could spat such things about a fellow mutant under depression… as if he didn't have his own set of issues.

            "That's arrogance for you…" Fyer rolled her hazed ebony eyes deeply, proving the point that speaking your mind shows a strong will… but is _not_ always necessary…

            One would think that a room full of beings concerned on Tora's health-as well as Kurt's-he'd have kept pride in close check for at least once… but that would've been asking for a miracle , "It was Kurt's own damn fault for not movin' away… and Tora doesn't _have to_ sit there like a zombie day and night…"

            Each twin-set of eyes were centered on Logan now… most of them exceptionally angry-looking. This, in turn, caused the reaction of his dark brow to raise above the other. Of course he did nothing wrong… he _could_ have moved… She didn't _have to_ vegetate in there all day…

            Oasis came to him, promptly, her palm held in the air and just as her feet stopped before him, that palm passed through the oxygen air around them with great force and right onto his face. She slapped him, rather harshly as well, seeing as he was jerked over slightly, "You God damned bastard! Kurt _couldn't_ escape! He tried! You and I both damn well know he may be a prankster, but he's not a fucking retard! …And Tora… how _dare_ you say that after all you've lost! You son of a bitch, I wish _you_ were the one dying, and I'd be ever-so-happy to see Tora dance on your useless grave with glee!"

            Her palm way ready to bash him square on the face all over again, but he leapt to his feet before her anger had the chance to strike, "That bitch isn't forced to sit her ass in there all day and get more depressed by watching him die!"

            "_You_ should know better! But, I don't expect anything from a mindless fuck-tard with no damned heart!"

            "Why don't you bite my ass, she has her own free will and we both know it!"

            This would have gone as far as a bloodbath if it wasn't for Remy's hands pulling Oasis back and Fyer whapping her large webbed wing on Logan's arm… which was ready to deck-out Oasis if and when needed.

            "This battle of haughtiness needs to end right now!" Charles made the last call, always. This time it was the final help to the approaching mutant-slaughter… it was odd really, he usually broke up an imminent fight between Logan and _Tora_… not Oasis Kaysa, "Logan, I am a very patient man but I will not tolerate such disrespect for one in pain!"

            He took the time and paused to take in the room's atmosphere… as if he didn't know what it was-and who it was directed to. Fyer was glaring to him, her body right next to his but keeping a wing between them, made her distance. Scott stood close to Charles (of whom he already knew about on the situation), and though garnet shades blocked blazing orbs, the hint of downwards brows was enough.

            The final two within the dim room where Oasis and Remy. The woman had her arms tightly folded beneath her breasts, her lips in a dark, downwards curl. Remy wasn't too far off from that, his only difference being a hand stroking Oasis' shinning hair. Normally, she'd care enough to complain, but rage made her blind.

            It became clear they hounded him for an answer, though not verbally. If there was any way of slipping out of this without having to hear about it for two more weeks, he'd have to play it _without_ the great aid of his conceit, "…Well, I…"

            There were times he just couldn't think of continuing words, though, this time was not one, and it was obvious from the way his voice trailed slowly and his eyes centered on something outside the room.

            "_What_?" Oasis snapped her word at his head, having little temper left to deal with his selfishness and ill-mannered games.

            "There… Tora…"

            The short sound of letter 'T' sent everyone's heads in the doorway's direction connecting the room they argued within and the halls to take one to the great building's sun-bathed entrance.

            The black shadow stretched it's height much longer than the figure it was attached to did. Of course, the figure hid most of their body in brown cloak, their face brushed with strokes of black from the cloak's hood.  Small, thin strands of ashen hair peeked from beneath the cloth, a sign it could have been her, but what was the sweet layer of frosting to this cake of the tip of a tiger tail dragging on the tilted floor, motionless, following its host body where it may take it.

            The figure had stopped dead upon the name of Tora and stood silently, hanging head low and letting more deep-gray locks spill from inside the hood.

            "Tora…?" Oasis took petite steps towards the cloaked woman, a slim hand was reached out to delicately curve over the other's shoulder, "Why aren't you with Kurt?"

            "I have no place here anymore…" her voice was trembling beneath shadow, and her left hand began to curl over the cloth pressing on her chest.

            The others, excluding Logan, vigilantly took to Oasis' actions and weren't far behind her. They had all heard what she spoke, and they all knew what she was doing, but only one had the courage to question it, Charles, "Why? Why are you leaving?"

            Her head jolted to see his face quickly, the shadows masking most of her face had fallen and now her gleaming eyes were visible, and so were the damp lines on her own face trailing from them, "You… you said we could leave freely when we wish…"

            "You can," nodding, his hand held out to her and the face she watched was kind, "I am just filled with curiosity."

            The lime eyes of sadness were once more placed into unviable darkness and her body turned forward. She took one step, then another, and continued her walk out and away from this building, but just before she set herself into motion, before she turned away, her mind etched out the bed she sat by for the passing days and the young man she opened her soul to. She had few words to say, but she kept them in deep thought, _'I doubt normal humans will ever accept us…'_

            The large doors had long since closed behind her, the others staring down a lengthy, vacancant hallway to the door, small to them due to perspective. Scott was first to shift his body back into the previously, conversational room, Remy, Fyer and Oasis came after. Charles was last only for the reason of taking a step of curtsey and letting others pass before him.

            "There, your problems are solved…" this sentence was more in a _grunt_ form, which, came from Logan.

            "You ass, this is worse… now we don't know what will happen to her…" Oasis wandered past him muttering this, stopping before Remy and snatching his hand for no apparent reason.

            "She'll be back…" his next move was to take the pressure of himself and the moment by throwing the proposal of her return out.

            "She won't…" the professor wasn't watching Logan while saying so, he was leaning over in his chair, elbows on his knees, hands folded and his index fingers brushing his lips, "I could feel it in her mind."

            "She has to…" Oasis knelt to the shimmering tilted floors for a moment, the reason why fuzzy and white, the tiger cub Koneko pouncing softly into the arms of Oasis, "She left Koneko…"

            "I think she left him purpously behind, to watch over Kurt." Charles was stuck on Tora's leaving, and the fact it was possible she wouldn't return. He was sure her body would never pass through these halls again… he would never say anything, but the amount of stress grew in her, his mind unable to block the reaching fingers of pressure within her. Kurt's situation must have been her final straw.

            The body of a human was hiding beneath dark cloak now. Tora would rather not have more of a mutant-fuss, so she morphed her ears and tail away. No stripes were etched onto her skin, her hair, once a light ashen, was totally black now… a raven could easily camouflage itself within her flowing locks. Her eyes had always been portrayed as the brightest of lime, sparking glints shimmered like diamonds within them, but now, they were dark, hazed, and brown.

            Her count of time had long-since disappeared since her departure, but her guess was at least two hours or more since she left. It would have been less of a heartbreak if warmth of sunshine was beating on her cloak, other than the constant tapping of rain droplets. So many umbrellas, the colors were amazing. She was the only one, wandering with the current of people with no protection from the ice shower, curses were hissed for ever thinking of leaving, but it was far too late to turn away now. Not only did her ignorance compel her to ditch, but it excelled so far as to leave her first true friend behind. Koneko was the only thing left of Tora at the institute, left behind in the hopes that if Kurt ever did arise from the hold of Death, at least Koneko could be the first sight his golden eyes would take.

            The droplets grew heavier and the storm's breezes kicked up once more. The cloak was utterly uselessly now, the thing was perhaps more soaked than Tora was. The next thing on her agenda was to get to China. It was her home, whether or not she never lived a childhood there, she had roamed it's mountain lands during the early days of spring, and now, it drew to fall. Snow would fall there… no matter, her fur in her anthro body would shield her.

            However, getting to such a place without money, or even knowing she would have to fly on a plane, was going to prove to make her quest difficult, and, to her dismay, possibly impossible. She definitely couldn't get anywhere now, the night looming close and wet clothes dragging her down.

            The alleyway she ducked into was narrow and dark, though the rain had decreased significantly, so she stayed. It was cold, the ground was alive with rats, and her only bedding was her own soaking cloak, but, it's what she chose when she took off, and she had to pull through it.

            The shroud made a sharp slap sound as it fell off Tora's body and rested upon the ground around her feet. Oh, how she desired to change back to being the slightest bit feline, she felt like just a weak creature being a true human (so to speak). It made her feel so plain, so defenseless, like the smallest child could knock her down, and she hated this feeling with all her heart.

            She knew better though, after the episode leading to Kurt's current state (or a least the state he was in before she left).

            Her legs still kept her high from the paved Earth, her body was quivering too much to be sitting, and her mind too violent to be sleeping. All she could do was let her backside fall onto the wall of a building, which was the other half making the thin alley. Her eyes, so dark they were black in this dim light, were set to the pavement she stood upon, watching the ripples within small water puddles from rain.

            Acute sense of smell had been taken from her along with everything else making her different when she had morphed to total human, eyes, once capable of seeing through the darkness of night now were just as good as any man's, so it was no wonder she could not sense another being slyly moving to her under the cover of shadow. If she had all her enhanced senses, his presence would have long since been noticed, but she couldn't risk the batch of wandering normal people to see her for what she was.

            The other presence occupying the lean space between two towering buildings reached a hand to her, the heat from his palm would have been noted if she weren't human, and surely the reflection of the small amount of light on his eyes would be flashing in the corner of her own orbs, but, again, the boundaries of humans kept her clueless.

            It was only when her body was aggressively torn from the fall and pressed right up against the mysterious man did she realize she meandered into a occupied alley. It was more glum than before, the tip of the setting sun hidden beneath a shroud of raging storm clouds, and darkness kept her sight limited. Is this the thing many of her ally mutants warned her of about city night-life? She couldn't think of the word, but Oasis had told her first never to walk into dark lanes in the dead of night. So many lost souls, mostly of male, prowl for something they lost, or perhaps closure for a broken heart leaving them to the streets.

            The word came to her mind instantly as the next event was played into her life. It seemed so swift to happen, but once it did and she was living in it, it never ended. The shadowed man had taken her jaw line and titled it upward, just enough so he was capable of sealing his lips onto her, which held light beats of rain drops.

            _To be concluded…_


	10. To Kill

            Whoever he was, he held her face within his large palms, moving up so he could taste the water beads on her lips. It wouldn't last long, however, as she viciously ripped herself away and without delay and sprouted ears and a frizzed tail. She had her night-vision, her smell, her hearing. She had all acute senses back, and she was damn pissed once using them again.

            "There is no way I… I'm… you…" She began as anyone would, put into this scenario, by shouting and showing her disgust at the action. It turned sharply as an unexpected twist became clear in darkness, "…_y-you…YOU!_"

            "Tora…" it was all he could say. He figured she would be so filled with rage, and his reasoning behind the impulsive passion was just that. She would have never let him do it on her own.

            "You! Y-you… _Sabretooth_ you killed Kurt! Bastard!" Her body was changing quicker than it had ever done in past events, the orange fur shot out of her arms and legs, her face molding to a feline muzzle more rapidly than you could say 'cat'. Hair still lined her head, and her cloths, though tearing apart, still were holding to her body. She stood on hind legs, but she was only am arm's length away from becoming a true tiger… a feature she had never been before…

            "The butcher-"

            "_If YOU hadn't been damn ignorant big-shot and crash car into pastry shop, starting the whole mess, life would have gone on fine! You altered the future, if not for you, Kurt would still be alive! It your fault he's dead, and I'll make sure you suffer for that!_" Her voice was so thick and deep, no longer the sexual smooth tone it was before. Her talons, back as the now night sky, were stretched as far out as limit would let, "_I'll kill you, Creed!_"

            Tora had placed not one iota of joke in her words, the urge to kill him blazed brighter than the want to do the same to Logan. No one fucked with such an innocent creature, not one touched Kurt in a harming way and didn't come back with scratches from a feline beast. He was the only thing she had that was remotely close to family, and she would be damned to the deepest layer of fiery hell before she let anyone slide for the horrid act of his death.

            She could no longer support her upper bodily weight, and was forced to stand upon all fours, it was needed if she were to attack quickly and justly as a true, viciously roaring mutant tiger.

            Glorious. Tiger were normally large animals alone, but when you mix natural mutant genetics into them, added your other half is human, it makes you a very large, highly intelligent cat. Not one to underestimate.

            Her head, not even standing upright, reached to his chest. It would be a dumbfounding sight to see her pull up onto her high legs like a bear and snarl so loud the echo would pass far beyond the reach of the city's edge. The knowledge to speak human tongue was gone, but not the ability to think, and the memories of how and why she got into this state of burning fury.

            Creed had his feet locked in ice. He couldn't move. He had never known such an emotion as fright, he had never seen such a creature that he actually accepted as a more powerful being. But there she was, standing, head arched down between shoulders, lips curled back showing massive fangs which could easily tear into his flesh like tissue paper. He could only wonder if she had ever become like this before.

            While he stood motionless, Tora did as well. It was only when his left foot took from the ground was and set inches behind him in an attempt to escape, did she arch backwards and leap right into the rainy air, lunging her body and the built-in weapon claws that came with it.

            It was pointless to try and scurry off now, in the heartbeat it took to take her body from the Earth, in another beat, she was on him, knocking him clear over with the force of his paws on his collarbones and her nails digging into his neck. Upper and lower jaws separated inches from his face and hot breath masking over his face. Her roar was just as he predicted: it was booming, the echo stilled carried long after it was made.

            He would have rather of avoided a conflict with his particular woman, but she has been engulfed in hate to the point where it drove her to a maiming beast, so he had little choices. Jerking his legs beneath her heavily breathing rib-cage, he jolted his boots into her abdomen and, thrusting the tiger from his body, took to his feet quickly, aiming for a way to elude the alley.

            Tora skid onto the pavement harshly on her shoulder blade, her body sat limp for a moment. She rolled to the other side and scratched the ground numerous times with talons before she could stand upright again.

            He was not to be seen. He fled, fearful, proving his weakness and his true coward nature. This, of course, had no help on calming her, and she charged straight out of the alley way at top speed, mind on other issues then caring if normals screamed at the spectacle of a overly large feline beast busting through the city.

            Cars screeched to a halt and smashed into one another, humans scrambled from her way, falling over and onto each other.

            Past skyscrapers, taxies, and cafés, past cozy homes, sidewalks, and beautiful yards, past county homes as well as abandoned ones… she followed his sent into a desolate forest far past the reaches of the city. Only the faint glow of it's lights merged together provide as light, as well as the moon.

            It was so cold, the ground was layered with a thin film of ice… but, it was only the middle of fall… and ice was the blanket of the forest floor? Not only that, the sent was failing to reach her in this place… so many others blocked her smell… it felt like the land she had escaped to after running from her creation lab… it felt like home.

            By now her full body had morphed back to having the capability to stand balanced on two hind legs, but her face still held the resemblance of a tiger. Shreds of clothing hung onto her, mostly around her waist, she picked at them with curiosity, as if she'd never seen such a thing before. The interest in hunting down Creed was evading her mind, her eyes wandering the foresting, nosing sniffing the air heavily, memories filling her mind and pushing everything else aside.

            Her knees hit the ground and her head was thrown back to the sky. The more time passed, the more she became calm, the more her beast features crept back into the pit of her body, waiting for another day to be unleashed in a firestorm of anger. Oh, she could feel the weight of sleep pushing on her, so much it made her chest ache. The energy it took to become that creature must have been ultimately massive, she could no longer sit fully up, she couldn't stay in any state where she carried tiger features. Her body fell to the frozen Earth, reverting to human as she passed into sudden sleep from the lack of life. Raven hair was being whipped over her body, winds picking it up, winds from the approaching storm… not of rain… but of snow.

            Sunlight, daybreak reached it's many fingers over the land. The ray beams zoomed in and out of tree leaves, waving around the trunks. The land was pure and glittering with snow. The leaves were tucked under packed flurry, the ground, once iced, now softly layered with bunched together flakes.

            Tora was one of the things beneath the snow, part of her flesh and hair was showing, the parts where the sun had melted it from her. Her body was nude, so it was no surprise that the cold was her alarm clock., to say. It was a struggle to move, but she would have to, her memory of as well capacity to become at least the smallest part of a tiger and live. She could die, she could drift into hypothermia silently without even the slightest thought. 

            She was too frozen to notice anything other than a beautiful pale blur twirling around her. No senses were specially sharpened from the lack of energy to become somewhat tiger, let alone her numbness covering the pitiful human senses. The cold had passed over her, she neither felt cold nor hot. She didn't feel weight, she couldn't feel her legs sprouting from her thy, the hair strands wildly dancing in the wind and brushing the snow on her body… she couldn't feel the footsteps of another.

           If she were conscious, she'd most likely snap a remark complimenting his persistence, but threatening him to fuck off. It wasn't her choice to make in this case, she was slipping into death. It really didn't matter to her whether it was her time for her soul to leave flesh or not, but to another, her presence was important. It had been since she was thrown into his life, since she ripped her fangs at his neck, since an entity as herself actually struck true fear for his life into the depths of his heart.

            Such a creature was worth his time to study, something so much like himself, so much power hiding within a supple body and a strong will. There was obviously something about her he couldn't leave alone, or she would have been left to become a popsicle.

            Creed took his tan trench coat off rather slowly. It had no sleeves, and a bit of brown fur strands from his pointing cat-ears, but it would prove to do better than the nothing Tora wore. His hand first took her arm, not thinking on how frozen it was, he jerked it back to his chest, ears of feline flattening back upon golden strands. He would try again, this time, scooping her entire body into the coat and tightly warping it around each curve. The snow was brushed away and her limp form was pushed vigorously to his, masculine arms looped around her shoulders and thy, and his scolding cheek brushed over her forehead-no warmer than ice. He collected her, sitting onto the frigid soils with her. He knew once she was warm and once her blood flowed freely again, she'd give another attempt at ripping his head clean off.

            It was pleasant to sit with something he actually cared about… cared in a peaceful way. Not like the negative attention he paid to Logan and the wish to kill him. This… this was more of a desire. The desire to get this warmth within, the craving to seek the answer to why whenever she was near a heaviness in the pit of his stomach would vanish. It was odd… he compared it to a bodily drug… he'd had a sample of it, and needed more each time… it was just so… _blissful_.

            She shifted her arm. Her hand snatched a free wrinkle of cloth and balled her fingers on it. Her weight moved now, upwards, she was pulling herself to warmth, be it fire or Sabretooth, she needed heat and was too dazed to worry where it came from. Ears were back, and so was a tail. This was apparent by it hitting his panted leg as it swayed.

            Coming-to, her head slowly rose upwards, her exposed neck flashed the zigzagging stripes making her a tiger. Elegance could only describe her as she moved carefully within the confounds of a tan coat, her neck gawked at closely, smooth, a road-in a sense-leading to perfectly level shoulders and full breast, which would be uncovered if it weren't for his uncharacterized motion of selflessness. If he wasn't so damn sure she'd kill him on the spot once seeing him, he'd have done  the very things he once mocked couples for.

            "_Ughh…_" Astoundingly, he was smart enough to realize this was just a simple groan, possibly caused from a headache, but was it ever amours, "Cold…"

            It was a stupid move to speak anything at this point. It would have been better to keep his mouth shut and let her gradually come to find Creed holding her than to blurt out words and compel her to question who kept her close, "You almost froze…"

            Green eyes darted up along with pinned back ears. Her tail was already fuzzed out to keep warmth, but the fact she wasn't thrilled to see _him_ of all damned people pressing her close, let alone she'd have to accept she possibly saved her from death's boney old fingers, "Oh God, do you quit?!"

            "I saved your ass, cat…" This snort was made shortly after she shoved off him and held a grip of her own onto the coat.

            "Just be thankful I too tired to become a tiger… I don't think snow like being red…" Wind dove itself into the lengthy wisps of ashen hair, the locks danced wildly on the backside turned to Creed, "…You should have left me for dead, anyway."

            "_You're welcome_…" he retorted through his clenched fangs. It was funny how one simple woman could cause so much emotion to rise from him, a thing no one has ever accomplished before.

            No answer was mumbled after that, she simply picked up a foot and mashed it into the snow, repeating the process over and over and trekking off to the curtain of trees. Of course, like a puppy, Creed just dashed right after and slowed upon nearing a walk beside her, "And where are you going?"

            "Home, now fuck off…"

            "…What's the point of going back to that idiot school when-"

            "I not talking about there…" She stopped dead, snapping at him right in his face with flaring lime eyes, "I'm going home to China…"

            _To be concluded…_


	11. To Love

            "You can't get anywhere like this…" a hand big enough to be called a 'paw' reached for her arm, not really in a violent motion, either.

            "What the hell do you care…?" the jolt her arm made to move away from him turned her completely to the left. She didn't mind, in fact, she began to take herself down this new pathway.

            "Obviously, I've cared enough about you now to keep you alive… And I want…"

            Again, another stopping interfered with her quest back to the city, the only difference now was her face actually turning over her shoulder to glare. She did it to study his body language, watch the expressions on his face, take in the scents of his inner emotions.

            As she swung around, the bottom tips of the trench coat flailed on the snow, and she took a steady pace up to him. He wondered if she actually took in that sentence and analyzed it to be true. She thought about what he said, but her reaction was by far nothing he expected, "I know what that smell is… It the very same thing Oasis feels when Remy kisses her…"

            Shock caught Creed by a rope around the neck, and a thick brow pushed higher on his forehead above the other, "What the hell…?"

            "Say it."

            Silence, between both creatures a hush fell onto them. Tora waited, and Creed procrastinated.

            "Say it. Now, damn you."

            "Say what, cat, I have no idea-"

            "Say you love me. I can smell it like rotting flesh…"

            The pause he made only added sparks to Tora's high level of annoyance, and after the sixth second, she didn't bother to wait around longer, just storm off in the general direction she started with. Alone this time, and happy about it… the last she wanted was a man either ordering her to his whim or making an ass of his name while drunk… she never did understand the concept of marriage.

            All she wanted was to be among oriental lands and wander mountains where other tigers hunted. She just wanted to be in a group of accepting creatures who didn't fight with themselves, who were always moderate in their actions, who gave respect when needed and treated all as equals.

            Why was she taken? Charles was such an innocent man… she couldn't let rest the thought he'd call for her capture.

            So many thing played into her life afterwards… she was taught both her culture and the ways of an American, English taught to her by a German she would come to love as kin, trust formed between Oasis, Fyer, Remy, and, even though irritating, Scott. Even a strong feeling flying between her and Logan… mostly anger. Good God was he ever stupid…

            "China you seek, I can take you there…"

            "Creed… leave me… W-who…" She angrily twisted her upper-body around, pupil slits narrowing thin, her mind proposed the image of Sabretooth pestering her yet again… a new character, however, was put into her life, "…Just who the hell are you?"

            "I am a curious man who just happened to hear your predicament…" Face in shadow by a bulky helmet of a metal element, body levitated some feet above hers, Magneto began the manipulation of her mind. Such power should be unleashed on the normal people… and she would have no trouble doing it…

            "…If I not remember you from the institute, I would be Creed," after this scoffing, she kept her move in the snow… of course, it wasn't like the _great_ Magneto to give up once he put his mind to something.

            "I can get you to China… free of problems…" The time it took to take another break, he stood upon the ground before her, her eyes widening at his speed.

            "But… you…" she was stunned at his move, but not forever, "China? Right… As if I go with a crazed weirdo's to anyplace…"

            "Oh, so you not interested in the laboratory… fine, no skin off my nose…" It was not seen clearly by the blackness of his helmet, but the smirk he wore only matched his devious plans. He knew much about this Tigress, perhaps more than her, and more than he should.

            "You know nothing, back off…" This would seem to be followed by Tora's arm shoving him from her pathway, but she surprised even herself by just standing there and waiting to see if he'd bring up another offer approach.

            "I know enough. You are Tora Kagayaki Akarui, named after the Japanese tiger Goddess… meant to be an assassin for the North Korean leader, you revolted and lived within the Chinese mountain in which the laboratory was hidden in…"

            "Shut up, jack ass…" Parts of her would have rather kept that blood to rot beneath dirt… in other words, to forget and remember never again. The other, however, had never ceased the yearning to see her past without insolence and the need to be away from ones planning her life for her.

           "So… when shall we leave?" a glove-coated finger ran along her jaw line… and she was not in the least tolerate of it.

            She jerked her head and stumbled backwards some into the snow, "What the hell up with people and me lately…?"

            "Oh, I dare not intrude on The Tigress, I have better sense than that. I just wish to help you…" the space between them was long enough so his arm could extend to her, his palm-side up. He was reaching for her own fingers to slip between his and he'd take her to China, he'd show her the past, and prove normal people where nothing but a nuisance.

            His hand was glared at for quite a long time, her mind running the possible outcomes if she took the offer, or if she declined. There were risks onto her life either way… she went, he could kill her… she stayed… a bounty would grow on her, just for a thing she never could change: being a mutant. She thought of what she might learn if her place of creation were to be visited, and she wondered if she'd drift in the forest here long enough to see Kurt again, alive and healthy.

            "I am interested in the past… but you will kill me."

            Only because she was so near to him, did his laughter seem to boom, but to Creed, to stood watchfully behind a iced tree some feet away, the chuckle was just any other scheming one he'd do, "My dear, I said I wanted to help you. Why would I kill off my own kind?"

            His own kind? Obviously, he was a mutant, not unlike her, but how the hell did he ever expect her to understand that when he had busted through walls trying to kill off Scott?

Oh… it was Remy… he sent out a… 'hit', whatever that was. He was asked to kill… perhaps he was asked to kill her. He certainly had some motive behind his suggestion, as he only pushed the offer on her harder, "You… you got sent to kill Scott… how do I know you not sent to kill me…?"

His patients surprised her greatly, she was expecting his temper to snap like a thin twig… like Logan's did, "Please trust me. I want to take you home and show you the past."

She should have veered away when she was presented the chance, and he should have left well-enough alone. Both were about to find themselves in more angst than they planned for… his would backfire… and her heart would break into millions of shattered splinters. Her palm fell over his… it was warm, which helped her trust on him, strangely. With the free hand, and to fully have her faith graspable in his hand, he pulled the helmet from his head, eyes squinting and a half-wicked smile upon his lips, "Good… you too, you can come out now Creed…"

Damn it, he knew the whole time. He shouldn't have been shaken by this act, the mutant Magneto was by far more wise and clever. Generally, he's have stomped out with a nasty grin, but Tora stood narrowing her eyes to him and flattening her ears, thus he came shyly and made a point to stand away from her.

"Must that idiot come?"

"Come now Tora, he is a mutant like yourself… shouldn't you respect him, after all, he has been shunned like you," was Magnus _ever_ witty in manipulation…

In all her own arrogance and loss for moral value, and though the words were merely a trick, they actually were meaningful to Tora's ears, and the face once holding disgust and anger to him lightened… somewhat. Such a thing had never crossed her mind before… perhaps this Magneto did have something she could linger on.

"Can we leave, now?" this was followed by a dainty snort.

"Of course… at the jet, you will be given fitting clothing. We will arrive by nightfall…" His smile only masked the waiting evil.

"Why you out here, anyways…?"

"Refueling, and picking up our stray… seems he ran off chasing a lady stray…"

A stray? Not a word she was called before, so she had no idea what it meant. She knew though, he spoke of Sabretooth bumbling behind her, and the word 'lady' must have something to do with her. Often she would peer over her should while walking beside Magnus, making sure he wasn't going to pull anything stupid on her… and to make sure he was still there.

"Shit, I thought yo' were never comin' back-Hey! Hold on, mate, what the hell is that cat doin' here? Ain't she one of those pussy X-Men?" Good lord, Pyro was more obnoxious than Creed.

"Tora ventured from the X-Men… she wants to go China and I'm going to help her… done with the refuel?" Magnus easily stood taller than the fire-ball, his eyes peering down to him sharply.

"Why the fuck do yo' goin' to help that cat? Okay, she's got some nice tits on her, but it ain't nothin' on that Dragon-girlie, eh?" Pyro could only laugh himself into a frenzy at this point. This in turn drove Magnus back within the confounds of the jet, moaning on how mature his fellow mutants seemed to be.

Tora knew what that was, and she jolted and arm over her chest, fingers curling over her shoulder and, though she could feel her cheeks become balmy with flush, she lowered her brows and glowered at him.

"I would shut your trap if I were you, ass hole… you can't even get it up…" She didn't want or need it, but Sabre was there to rush in as her defense, tugging her close to his towering stature by her hanging arm.

"Oh, excuse me, I didn't note she was yo'r new chew-toy, I'll remember next time to look closer," his snicker was silently hidden under his breath, eyes rolling.

Before the large feline had anything to say, Tora simply wandered away from the moment, babbling on how his help was more of an annoyance than a good deed. In the jet she quickly dashed, sitting herself in the far back, among shadows and windowless walls. She had hopes she'd sit alone rather than beside a freak or a stalker.

_To be concluded…_


	12. To Find Answers

            Across the vast Atlantic Ocean, who's waves glittered with the sunlight and glowed with moonlight, over the lands of Russia and into mountainous regions of Mongolia… a people which had once declared war on China, or so Tora was taught. In China their destination was, within the frigid Shalulishan mountain rage was their lands, and the hallowed mountain was their exact landing position. Days putting up with an idiot more arrogant than Logan and a man bent on _having_ to stroke her hair as if he would die otherwise but a great strain on Tora… it would seem as if nothing happened in the past days, and she just woke up like this… staring at the mountain, brushing trembling finger tips over huge steel doors.

            The key was to open these massive doors and unlock the truth to her past, everything she did, and _didn't_ want to know. She wondered why they bothered to make such monster doors into the mountain side… they wanted her creation to be a secret, stashing the laboratory and scientists into the hallowed thing… she'd think they'd make the entrance a little less… _obvious_…

            "Something wrong…?" Magnus curled his fingers over her right shoulder, which was covered by a thick black jumper. It hugged her body, including looping her neck, her chest was dotted with a red pattern in the shape of a triangle.

            Tora swung her tied hair from the shoulder, not wanting his fingers to tug on it, "…I… I can not get in."

            "Not a problem."

            His palm flew past her face, the wind from it flicking some strands of her bangs somewhat. The pause between the moment when he pulled his hand out and the creaking of opening steel doors was very short, but it was enough time for Tora to realize that when the path opened to her creation, she'd find more than she wanted.

            The other two bumbling morons stayed put within the craft, knowing better than to show their asses out at this point. Kicking heels to the control desk, Pyro leaned back within the pilot chair with folded arms and a smug look, "Gunna watch yo'r toy all day, aren'cha?"

            Creed stood eagerly at one of the windows, just staring down at Magnus rip the doors open and lead Tora into musty darkness, "Shut up, ass…"

            She soon was to vanish into the shadows of the passage and wander through a thin strip of time. It wasn't too hard for the feline to see in darkness, and as the light from crooked steel doors was being swallowed by black, Tora lead Magnus through unseen thickness.

            The walls grew narrow, Magus found this out as his shoulder scraped onto a razor rock, the smell of blood instantly hitting Tora's nose, "Watch out… it get narrow…"

            _Well obviously_, two words were uttered only in his mind as a gloved palm flattened over the wound.

            Little by little the pathway began to arch downward, their trail leading into the mountain filled with twists and turns, the echoes silencing deeper they went… a sign the cavern trail was thin. It was a this point, when Magnus again bumped into another corner, He questioned himself, why he went with her and if she knew where in hell she was going, "Tora… do you know were we are…?"

            "I believe so, this is correct tunnel… I see broken lights above…" She could hear him stumbling around in darkness, trying not to trip. The only way he got this far was to follow the sound of Tora's steps.

            Nonetheless, as they traveled deeper, Tora's eyes came closer to something so black not even her eyes could distinguish what it was. It was a round shape carved from the walls, hazed into the other darkness. A step before she would either run into or pass through this unknown darkness, her body stopped completely. Magus, of course not being able to see, barged into her with a grunt. She didn't seem to mind, as all attention was forced on this darkness. Tora would normally jump at something she couldn't understand, very curious as she was, always interested in the world around her… but this blackness dove under her skin and crawled around with sick intent.

            Something in the air didn't smell right, at all. She couldn't remember one damn thing about how she escaped… it was anger, killing spree, _a blur_, and finally her life in the mountains. Interesting, her own mind was blocking her from something, and it was that exact thing the darkness revolted her for.

            "What's wrong now?" Magnus was on his last threat of putting on a 'kindness and trust' show for her.

            "Something not right."

            "What? We can't go back now, we came this far for _you_."

            "I don't know. It not does feel right."

            Without an answer, Magnus held his hand out until they felt the cold rocks of the wall side. He felt his way to the edge where Tora had stopped herself. If she wasn't going to walk in, he sure as hell was… he wasn't going to let his cold shoulder, stiff with blood, be put in vain. There… a switch… secret hideouts like this had come to be expected with light switches such as these.

            "What you doing…?"

            Finger pushing the switch until it flicked up with a tiny _click_, Magus turned to Tora, finally able to see her as lights blasted on, "Giving light."

            She had to shade her eyes for a moment, squinting beneath a shielding arm. It was fuzzy, her lashes blocking clear view, but the darkness had been torn from her body with the promise of light… that feel of horror was still anchored to her heart… but it became less heavy as she saw what this blackness was.

            This large black circle was actually a unlit room, huge, and sphere-like. There was dust and frost everywhere, broken computer and their wires scattered all over ebony laboratory tables. The pale titles of the flooring were slippery and freezing, some broken and shattered, glass scattered all over creation… rotting bodies…

            "You kill these people?" Magneto kicked the torso of some random chemist, his flesh a mixture of white and blacks… either way, it meant he was dead.

            "I… suppose so… I can not remember…" What a lie. The back of her mind threw memories to her of herself as a massive tiger, ripping at human bodies and letting their innards splatter to the floor. She tried to justify it in her on mind on why she created a bloodbath… they would never leave her alone… always testing her without her consent… never respecting the power _they_ gave her… and she snapped, taking those guilty… and those innocent. Each fragment of that moment came to her like lightning, it played in her mind, first the attempted rape… then her unchained spirit snapping, body enraged and transforming into a monstrous feline who destroyed the entire laboratory before she was even sent to North Korea…

            "They didn't care about me… they… they figured I bow to them for giving me life…" slowly she trekked to the center, where the lights shown the most, and where her body would be kept in a suspended animation until they beckoned for testing one more.

            "They…?" Ah, finally, the whole reason behind his actions, the intent to turn her from Xavier's ideas and look to his, had finally shown itself… it was about time.

            "My creators. Chemists. Biologists, whatever…" finger traced down lines of Chinese script, and though there was perhaps one or two characters she could not understand… she understood her creation… she finally realized what her purpose was, and what would happen to her after, "I can even read it…"

            "What, my dear?"

            Paper rustled as Tora blew off dust and shook the sheets from cold stiff-ness, and, clenching a first to her neck, she read to him all the information on her creation…

"Experiment number 137, day 45. Code name 'Tora Kagayaki Akarui'. This experiment was assigned by Chief of Defense, to create bio-weapon and kill off North Korean Government. After China has won the war, dispose of 'Tora Kagayaki Akarui' and laboratory. All scientists have been sworn into secrecy, and to speak of this experiment shall be met with death.

"They planned to kill me, that is what…"

He scoffed and twitched the top of his lip slightly, acting as if he had disgust, "Normal humans are such ass holes… even in other countries…"

"They created me for one purpose… I knew that, and… though, I did not know of the killing, I sure as hell fixed their asses over it," as if she caught drift to his plans, she tossed the papers to the iced floor and moved on to.

She hadn't caught to his scheme, but with that statement and followed action, it sure as hell seemed like it. With a pale brow raised high, Magnus began to wonder if there was something to her past he could use against her, "Come now Tora… everyone forgets things… perhaps you're missing something?"

"So interested in my past, yes?" Gentle fingers traced lines into frost upon glass, cracks from both the ice and her rampage both lined the it… glass, what a stupid element to use in holding a wild beast.

"I… am… simply saying… maybe you're forgetting something."

No retort was made to this, for indeed there was a blurred part to her memories. She could remember hearing bones crack as her body curled into that of a dangerous tiger, paws slashing into any human in her way and teeth gripping into necks, the red liquid of essence dripping like flowing water to tainted white tiles. In her frenzy she prowled all over the large room, leaving no one alive, having no room uncharted to kill off life… and yet, there was something blocked. A separate room, a bodiless corridor previously uncharted due to the fear boiling as she read through it. It was coming, the fog was disintegrating…

In the deep back corner, past all the computers, tables, charts, models, and DNA containers, hidden by a shroud of darkness now, a thin door was plastered into the wall. Slowly her legs took her, against her will, across the grand room, beside Magus, tail brushing on his leg, and into the shadow curtain. The Chinese characters written on it had been scratched out due to Tora's blood-soiled claws ripping into it… but two words could be made out, very clearly, _bodily extra_.

What the hell did that mean? Extra? Body? Tora had always been under the thought her body was grown within another woman's womb, a woman willing to hold a mutant child who would bring the fall of a government and end a war… in disgrace.

She had always believed she had a mother who died for her, watching from the sunshine and feeling from the breezes. Her mind had erased this image of a non-walked room, and replaced it with the ideal of a woman willing to sacrifice her life for a senseless war… or at least she thought _she_ had thought this. Did these people replace memories… perhaps to hide a secret, of course?

By now both the adventurous side of her urging to regain memories, and the shell of her sanity knowing better than to venture into the unknown were both so sparked with curiosity that she couldn't help but to bust the rickety old door down with her powerful foot.

Very little dust flared into the air, and thus Tora stormed right in, eyes wandering each and every aspect with care and great concern. It was so long, lights flickering above them, door lining the walls of this corridor. Each had a small, rectangular label near the top of the door, more oriental script was written neatly upon it, each one worn, but every door different. _Brain, heart, left lung, bodily nerves, skin, hair, eyes_… parts of the body? Rooms for human limbs, rooms for feline limbs, rooms lining this extended hallway, all of bodily parts most likely stored in a tube hooked to wires which kept these parts in yet another state of suspended animation. Not any more… her fury made sure of that.

The brightest part of this very eerie hallway was the extreme end, in which a overhead light dangled above a bolted shut door, a steel door no less. Of course, such a door with a dead-bolt obviously held _some sort_ of undisclosed suspicion.

The wind seemed to part for just for her as she took to the end of the corridor with speed. Her body began to change, she would need the help of an animal to unlock the blot and reveal her true past… the one she had been told lies of.

Paws trusted on the shimmering steel, power of an eager tiger behind them. She pushed with all her being. She had found something hidden beneath piles of lies and betrayal, and she would rather let her innards rot within her than go back on the stalking of truth.

_To be concluded…_


	13. To Break

            "_Tora_…?"

            Magnus called for her halfway down the hall, after echoes of metal falling to the hard floor pounded on the walls of the laboratory. He could see semi-flashing lights reflecting dull-orange and ashen highlights from a tail wandering into shade.

            Tora had absolutely no need for light, for she still kept the form of a humanoid tiger, nose sniffing loudly and orbs reflecting what little light there was within the room brightly.

            She saw light beaming from knife-like objects, a respirator, medical needles and stitching thread, syringes-broken and some holding a clear liquid-scattered everywhere. Charts where rolled out, hanging from the ceiling. On the left side of this glum space had anatomy of a human hanging from it's top… nerves, blood veins, bones, skin, the sections of the eye, the images of the inner-heart… upon the right held tiger charts, all the same as the left, just being a feline.

            The center of this hole was a long, metal table, something she'd often seen the infirmary of Xavier's School, ones that she would often see her fellow kind resting on after a battle… or being operated on.

            Tora had yet to make the final connection, but as she turned, shoving Magneto out of her frantic way, she sprinted between the hallway-inspecting each room intimately, taking precise mental notes and photos.

            Back to the darkness she'd run, comparing why a operating room and frozen body parts so close together, none of these body sections were thought to be needed for the scientists, for their arrogant minds figured Tora's spirit would be as dull as a sky before falling snow.

            "I… was not born?" lime orbs traced each small increment of her body, touching the location where her upper-body would off into an arm, looking for stitch-scars, a different color in skin, anything that would speak of her theory, and increasing worry. She had come to find none, but everything around her was defiantly not for display… and her heart and mind lay restless. She wouldn't rest until she had found the reasoning behind massive storage of humanoid and animal organs.

            She was taken back and forth copious times in search for a reason, Magus could only watch from the sideline and wait for his turn to step-in and try in completing his task. Scavenging through papers, charts, lab-logs, anything that could place the small missing piece of her puzzle in the gap and clinch her thirst for knowledge. All the books, papers, logs and every other slice of information she tossed around had been printed or written on a thin, yellow paper, and this was why a thick folder of bright red stuck out underneath scattered papers, her hand taking the paper-back folder from the pile and scrabbling to open it… red had been taught to her to be an important color with science.

            Pictures of tigers fell, images of beautiful woman models, notes clipped to them… all were unimportant in her quest, Tora simply wanted facts on her and how she came into this world.

_Day Four; Hour 13:16_

_Nerve construction complete .Will hold in suspension until heart, veins and arteries are complete._

            The pit of her stomach grew heavy with her heart sinking into it… was it her nerves they wrote of…?

_Day Thirteen; Hour 7:04_

_Muscle construction complete, nerve and vein combination construction complete. Will hold in suspension until skin layers are complete_

_Day Twenty-Three; Hour 17:56_

_Body construction complete. Will begin physical training and testing upon 'Tora Kagayaki Akarui'._

            So… according to these small slices of logged information Tora had anxiously flipped over and over again… all of her body, her heart, her eyes, brain, lungs, legs… everything, was all bits and pieces of other humans and tigers spliced together with the final ingredient of the X-gene, the DNA make-up able to let her morph between a person and a feline.

            "I… not even a true mutant…?" the sentence was hardly understood, not only for English was never her best, but spoken between quivering lips and a trembling body holding these papers, it became difficult to speak. She couldn't believe it, though some of her creators were assholes, obnoxious stuck-up, and self-centered weird-o's only bent on using her for one purpose and nothing else… they had always told her she would never be lied to… they told her she would hear no fibs, due to the fact she was fresh to the world and could become confused easily… when the time came to ship her to Korea.

            But it wasn't just that… how many families had she secretly destroyed by wearing their skin, using their heats, breathing through their lungs… she was no mutant, she was a damn freak… she had no part of her that was 'official' hers… everything was from another, all stitched together… God, their souls must be disturbed with ferocity…

            "What… w-what's so wrong?" Now, Magneto actually did start to care, for his plan was back-firing _badly_. He simply wanted her to despise the mutant-less folk, but he came unknowing she'd discovery a huge lie and breakdown before him.

            "I… I am just one big pile of scrap!" Her voice rang throughout the room, racing down the hallway and leaping off each wall in the sphere-room. It was at this point she collapsed to her knees, the floor having to mercy to cushion her bones, but the pain was overlook for the time being. Her hands shivered, fingers twitched… her eyes, becoming warm and blurred with saltwater, skimmed over them, wondering if each slender finger was sewed on or folded over specifically placed muscles…

            Surprised as this sudden turn of horrendous evens, Magnus had no utter clue how to handle the situation before him… sure, he could contain an enraged Tora wanting sweet vengeance on the normal kind that treated her like cold shit, but there she was holding herself with hot tears rolling off her cheeks and splattering on the floor.

            His mind was equal to a clean sheet of printer paper: blank. No words, no idea of actions, and now, _he_ was the one confused. Something came to him, finally, after a moment of reflecting in Tora's sadness and he figured if went to her, he'd find her heart upon the bottom of his shoe sole.

            The gloved hand had found it's way to her should, and for a moment, she stopped to peer to him with glazed lime eyes. Of course, she might have stopped if his face wasn't so damn stern. Her shoulder was patted twice before she looked away and arched her back from his grip.

           A new echo roamed the hallways, but it paled in profound noise to Tora's weeping. As this other sound came closer, it mixed within the first ricochet of sounds from the walls. Tora by now had her fade hidden by black locks, some damp around her squinting eyes, though Magus caught it and jerked his head to the doorway, "What the hell are you doing here? I said for you to stay behind!"

            "You were taking too long, and, apparently I came at a good time, what the fuck did you do to her!?" Who else than Sabertooth than to fall beside Tora and take her weak body within his arms.

            "_I_ didn't do a thing! It was those fucking people who lied to her!" Just like, pretty much, any male Tora had encountered within her lifetime; arrogant, loud, and too much pride for their own good. She didn't say anything though, she just glanced between them, though their faces fuzzy.

            "Right… like I can believe your filthy words."

            Magnus didn't need more unnecessary confusion on his part _or_ towards him, and with a smug glare tossed Creed's way, he ended his part in this and gave up on the idea of having Tora's vast power allied to his cause.

            His leaving was trailed with growls and bared fangs, the feline pupil slits of Creed's crimson eyes narrow as thin as a hair. This action kept up until he could no longer sense Magus presence… of course, he must have been still under the light somewhere, his eyes not well enough to lead him back up the mountainside in total black.

            It didn't take long before all of his attention turned lovingly back to Tora, whose body seemed to tighten up, her eyes strongly held shut and small whimpers escaped her. Her fingers curled to his clothing, and she even pushed against him upon her own will… it brought up many a question for Creed, the main uproar in curiosity being what on Earth disturbed her so much to put aside all original thoughts on him and cling to him?

            "Tora… what did you see?" the first attempt was to gather clues by way of verbal communication, which worked little as all she did was grip her fingers tighter on his cloth and press her wet cheek to his collarbone, wanting his warmth to soak into her.

            She wasn't so much weeping as the minutes would pass, just stare with hazed eyes into nothing, the lower lid of her eye filling with salted liquid and once full, would roll down her cheek. It didn't really matter who she clung to, Creed just happened to be the one in taking her within his grasp. It would have been no different if Magus had done this, she just needed company to hold her limp body, which had broken with the knowledge of what a _'lie'_ truly meant.

            Another pitiful, as well as bland, attempt was made in trying to grasp Tora's predicament, "What ever happened to kicking my ass?"

            Again he was answered with silence, not even movement from Tora was made in this effort. She was simply clutching to him like her life was put on line, such drone-like eyes eerily watching him from a lower level.

            If it wasn't apparent by now she was in no mood to use that beautiful voice of her in speaking, Creed would have labeled himself an idiot (as if other's didn't). For the reason's of Tora's condition now compared to her shouting within the United States, the ideal of just letting her bundle her body near his was looking great… after all, Creed had no idea when fate would be so kind as to let beauty such as herself act as if she needed his presence to be at peace.

            An arm supported her back, another tucked between the point here her legs which bent and held her lower-body, she was taken from the titled floor, some ice from the thin layer hugging the floor was melting to her clothes, and her vast locks flowing behind as Creed took her away from memories and dishonesty.

            Every time he would collect her body and hold it, she never seemed to realize it… he gave her warmth to live and took her out now when she was too feeble to hold up her own body. It was rather tough to take a narrow passage while he held something he cherished so much, and which gave an illusion of needing him.

            _To be concluded…_


	14. To Return Home

            "Fyer!"

            Scott's shouting was heard throughout the entire building, and though some ignored it, others gathered to see and question it.

            "Don't shout… I hate it…" Fyer's wings cringed together much like her arms, a index finger holding her spot between a papers in her closing book.

            Her face was suddenly met with underwear, black bras, many oriental kimonos in brilliant colors, and numerous T-shirts with large holes cut on the backside for her extravagant wings, "Well then don't put you're dirty shit in _my_ room…"

            "Hey, it's your turn for laundry, bite me," her smirk was so deliciously evil, if he wasn't so furious with her, he would have chuckled at her playful ways.

            "God, you're worse than that crazed Tora…" he tossed the last article of dark clothing her way, in which a lifted hand caught with ease.

            Her groan was light as she shoved the load of clothing from her lap and pulled the bras from her hair, going back to her book peacefully. It was a rather fine tale written by the great Steven King named '_Insomnia_', of course, the medical case itself had been wrapped around her for a number of years, but she wasn't about to tell anyone. The novel was spectacular, and it had pulled her in with powerful hands and locked her in a cage, though it wasn't all bad, in fact, it was quite intriguing.

            While Tora was certainly missed, things had gone as usual within the confounds of the mutant institute, Oasis and Fyer watched over Kurt for Tora and groomed Koneko, Scott took care of everyone's meals, and in surprise, he made delectable feasts. Remy stayed alone, moving to the farthest room and making very little contact with Xavier… or at least trying. After his hit put out on Scott, eyebrows have been raised each time a mutant of the school would see him.

            "I wish Tora were here to see you…" Oasis snatched a pair of clipping succors, the Dragon-mutant placing her book away and flowing a towel around familiar blue shoulders.

            Around the neck clung a flexible cast, a dark cobalt in hue in an attempt to match his fuzz. He couldn't speak, his voice box a total mess, but in time he'd have is loveable German accent back.

            "It was funny how much better you became after her leaving…" Fyer brushed the long locks of his dark hairs, getting them ready to be snipped away. Once the cast was ready to be striped away, long locks might skim upon the scar and irritate the skin.

            Spinning to face him daintily, the winged Oasis stood to his side, grasping a large strand of indigo hair and, measuring it with her fingers, and paused to look at golden eyes, "Ready Kurt?"

            His smile was the signal to commence, and that was what Oasis did, snipping away the tresses and leaving behind short stubs which slowly twisted into a curl. Again, she took another strand and snipped away, the stubs again curling on his head.

            The process was repeated, each cut lock ending up being a cute little curl hugging his head neatly. Fyer stood back, brushing Koneko's snow fur and tracing her finger over his ebony stripes. She'd often wonder what became of the people who'd come and gone during her life. The Tigress, her foster mother, that very odd large half-breed cat, the fire-controller… her inquisitiveness would often go so far as to question if she'd see them again in part of the rest of her life.

            A faint buzzing caught the attention of the room, even the fidgeting tiger cub held his head high and perked his ears. At the gate of the school was a an intercom equipped with color camera and motion senses for night. The buzzing was, in a way, like a humble door-bell, it got attention and alerted whoever was near that someone was waiting to be answered.

            "Logan! Get the intercom!" Oasis snorted after this, hoping he wouldn't just tell her to fuck off like normal… God, he'd been more of an ass than usual in two months of Tora's disappearance.

            "Bite me, bitch. Get it yourself!" Of course, Oasis should have known that today was like any other; no exceptions to his damned rudeness.

            "I am getting so sick of being called that from him… I don't know how Tora put up with it…" She slammed the clippers onto a counter with other hair products and muttered profanities under her hot breath.

            "I do…" Fyer snickered, though Tora had left, the mocking of her and Logan continued, and forever would until one of them made a move that either proved their suspicions, or made them liars.

            "Yea… now that I think about it, I do too…"

            Kurt pulled the towel from his chest and leaned out of his chair, watching Oasis stomp out of the room and smack Logan on the back of the head.

            "_Ass_…" she had cursed all the way to the point of slapping him, but this was the last colorful thing she spoke before slyly slipping to the entrance room.

            A moment before she got a chance to turn on the camera and greet the guest, she took the liberty to take a glance out the towering windows in hopes of knowing who it was beforehand. Well… there was either two figures… or a new, extremely deformed mutant. It didn't matter, who's to say she didn't have her abnormalities, what with her feathered blue wings and long indigo lion's tail.

            "Hum…" There was only one other time she had used the intercom camera, and that was when they needed to move Tora from one containment cage to another. These switches and buttons were few in number, but they weren't labeled. Swirling her finger in the air to random choose a switch, she flipped up the second switch in a row of two… which didn't do anything… to her side anyways.

            "_Finally, look, I have someone here-_"

            "Hey wait! I didn't say anything to you…" acting clueless, she fumbled around for the camera switch again, but she knew how to converse through these things.

            "_…I can see you…_"

            "Oh… well then…" she bit her bottom lip softly, flicking the second switch in the row. Ah, yes, the screen flickered and grew bright with colors, and to her great surprise, who should be glaring at her with glinted red eyes, but Creed. Her gasp was profound and she leaped back, pointed to the screen and about falling her butt, "_Sabretooth!_"

            "What the hell did you just say?" that name Logan knew all-too well, and it would be a sacrilege to all he stood for if he were to just let it roll off his backside.

            "Creed! He's at the gate! What the hell should I do?!" Oasis panicked feverishly and danced about the room like some giddy child… accept not for a thrilling reason.

            "Move your ass! That's what," Logan had no problem placing his large hand on her shoulder and simply shoving her away from the intercom's image monitor rudely… if Oasis wasn't so stunned by the surprising face of Creed, it would have been more points towards Logan for starting yet another fight, "You dare show your worthless ass on _my_ doorstep, you diseased rat-bag?!"

            "If it wasn't for Tora I wouldn't be here, you stupid fuck, so shut up and-"

            "Tora!?" At the sound of her name, Creed was cut straight off from continuing his statement with bight words, by Logan, who now has his nose pressing on the monitor screen and snarling.

            "Tora…? Oh great, I bet he killed her… I wouldn't put it past him…" flowing onto his head, shoulders, and backside, Oasis' tan locks brushed over Logan as she stood behind him desperately trying to see the screen.

            "Don't say that, idiot…" she was scolded silently… which was odd, for his normal reprimands were in shouts and demands.

            "I didn't hurt her, ass hole, she's right here…" Creed took a step aside, though he curled his fingers around Tora's upper arm careful, whom stood deathly still behind him. She was a mess… her hair was in tangles, all-or most-color had washed from her face, her posture was shivering (despite the coat she wore to fend off the winter air), and her eyes known for their radiant sparkle, were a dull haze of lime green. She scampered some as Creed stood back, but from the hold he had on her am, despite how soft it was, made her stay.

            Her palms folded together, and she shyly glanced to the monitor's screen. She was ever so sorry she did, as upon setting her dreary orbs on Logan's face, she uttered a small squeak and leaped right behind Creed once more.

            "What the… HEY! Cat, get back out here!" He nastily called for her to return, which made her tightly grasp Creed's clothing and wince… it was obvious her spirit had a number of issues upon it.

            "Don't yell at her!" knowing damn well innocent Tora could no long find inner strength and faith to fight back, Creed took a step up… he would have done it anyway, but it was a bit more important now due to Tora's state of mind.

            "Don't tell me what to do, Creed, you brought her here, you should know damn fine she'll just snap back like the bitch she is!"

            He made a point… the first time he approached her she was truly head strong to the point she wanted his body sliced up. However, that man on the other side of the screen had not one clue what she saw and what about herself she learned… not as if that bastard would care, anyway.

            She was crying now, lightly, and trembling anxiously. She was in no mood to have abuse on her, of any sorts, and yet that's all she was getting. That was no _bitch_, that was a broken woman who was in dire need to rest.

            Again, he jerked away from her only to prove a point, "Does _that_ look like a bitch?"

            It was in the next moment that she rushed back and clung to his arm weakly, but in the few seconds beforehand she was pathetically standing alone, she refused to scan the screen, not caring to know what expression Logan may have given her, she just stood nervously, grunting and tasting salt-water from her eyes.

            "Your yelling made her cry, are you happy you piece of shit?"

            Oasis back-handed Logan's head, and as he jolted around to face her, she did it once more to his face, "Jerk!"

            "Shut your hole Oasis! She always snaps back, how the hell was I supposed to know?" Forcefully he pushed her away only to point a finger and continue his shouting.

            "She _didn't_, you dick-head! She shivered and jumped behind Creed, is that something she normally does?!"

            "Of course not, she usually-"

            "Then something's wrong! Your stupidity would amaze a Dodo bird!" The argument attracted the attention of Kurt and Fyer who cautiously slinked in and positioned themselves behind Oasis.

            He was defeated, and he knew it. It was true logic, she wasn't acting herself, and in his experience, that ends up at something chipping at their happiness, "Alright! …I'll… see what he'll do…"

            Oasis grunted and crossed her arm tightly to her chest, while Fyer and Kurt stared at each other in astonishment… someone actually got _Logan_ to admit-or come close to-a mistake. This was one for the calendar.

            His moan was a long one, followed by a sigh, "Well, Creed, what did you bring her back here for?"

            "She's sick… mental. As far is physically… I wouldn't doubt it. I figured Xavier could help her," Logan had calmed his tone, and thus, so as to avoid more confrontation, Creed did as well.

            "Magnus do this?"

            "No… not really… he took her to China… she hasn't spoken since."

            "China…?" Oasis whispered out the name. It was her homeland, her place of creation… why would Magnus take her there, and then bring her back?

            "…That's where she came from, right?"

            Her question went ignored, as the others around her were preoccupied at the time.

            "Creed… I'm going to open the gate… I swear to God you try anything and I'll open your throat," Logan was hardly convinced that this wasn't a trick of some sort… but Tora never trembled at the sound of his voice, so at least there was truth in that.

            "I don't plan to… I'm doing this for her, then I'm gone."

            _To be concluded…_


	15. To Feel Anew

            Scott and Xavier now made their presence apparent in the entrance room, it wasn't everyday Sabretooth strolled up to the gate and called a truce to return one of the X-Men. Everything about it seemed like a trap, God only knew what Tora had done in her time out, it was a high possibly that she could have become an ally for Magnus… at least as far as Xavier knew.

            Creed guided her through the door, holding his hands over her smooth shoulders. He got very unpleasant looks for doing this, but he got a killing glare from Logan, "Alright Creed, you got her in here, you can go now!"

            His slight growl said otherwise, and he stayed for a moment more. Moving leisurely, he faced Tora and arched over some so his face was a bit closer to hers. It would be the only time he could do this without getting scratched in the face, "You're back at the institute, alright? Xavier is going to make you feel better, and you have allies here."

            She mewed silently and bat her hand at his neck. Her nails stung a bit, though it was ignored knowing she had not done it intentionally.

            "I'm not welcomed here… I have to leave."

            "Damn right you're not, get out!" Logan growled forcefully, advancing on Creed as a warning to depart.

            Disregarding this as nothing more than lack of common sense, Creed held Tora's face by her lower jaw and sympathetically kissed her forehead. That did not go well with Logan, and prompted him to rip Creed off Tora and shove him in the general direction of the large entry doors, "Move your ass, _now_!"

            He wasn't about to leave the premise in this fashion, there was no way he was about to let that idiot shove him out for helping one of his associates. He swung his arm at Logan, who backed off expecting to be pounced on, but simply receiving a growl before the departure.

            "Odd… very odd…" Fyer tilted her head, her locks looping around the golden horn sprouting from her skull.

            Oasis dashed to Tora and tossed herself on her with welcoming arms.  The Tigress grunted and held an expression of discomfort, but as Oasis loosened her hold, she gave the embrace back. Just as quick as she threw herself on Tora, Oasis pulled back, keeping her hands on Tora's shoulders and looking at her from her position, "What the hell happened…?"

            The green Dragon suddenly laughed warmly and came forth as well, patting Tora with a bright grin, "I'd say you've got a guardian Cat-Angel."

            "Creed is _NO_ angel!" Logan snatched Tora away, as if she was some item he wished to have back in his possession, "He's just using her."

            She winced and struggled to free herself, though it was in vain for she had no strength, in body or mind, to fight him. Finally she gave up and just feel to the floor, her arm still held up by Logan… who was highly confused by her actions.

            "You're hurting her, let her go Logan!" Oasis lowered her face and brows, putting a foot before the other in indication she was willing to start a battle if he disagreed.

            He did exactly that, his face changing quickly, but meaning all one look of bewilderment. Her hand made a slap as it hit the tilted floor, but otherwise, nothing moved, nothing made a sound… she just sat, with her knarred hair covering her face and her body having tremble shock every other second.

            From the group rushed her greatest friend, Kurt. He helped her to find her feet, even though he was considerably shorter than she was. His glare was so evil towards Logan, and he would have added to this with beautifully colored insults, but due to his throat, was mute for the time being.

            Tora had stopped trembling by the time she had noted it was Kurt who took her from Logan, and she could only stare at him for the longest of time. His face turned from Logan and up at Tora, his chin no longer covering his neck, she could see the stitching where he had been sliced. Tenderly, she traced her fingers over the closed wound… it felt soft, strong, like his was to heal well. Onward to his face, which was in an overjoyed state to be looking back to her.

            Her eyes began to sparkle once more, but only with the aid of tears. The muscles of her lips refused to have her smile, but in the depths of her crushed heart, she had never been so happy.

            As Oasis had done, she threw herself on him and wept, face buried in his hair and pressed on his neck, she clutched his clothing and sobbing on him, shedding both tears of joy and pain. He was alive, yet in the time he recovered, her soul had been trampled drastically.

            "I… am not real!" she shouted between her sobs, each time she would say it transcending into a whisper, "_I am just scrap…_"

            The shower had taken away the dust that still clung to her from that God awful laboratory, hair neatly brushed, face clean, and fresh clothing hung to her body… it was yet another red Chinese dress, but this time, Xavier had bought it for her. Her legs were stretched out over her bedspread, her face to the window beside the bed and eyes watching every little movement that occurred outside. Just as when Kurt was healing, she was confined to a single room by her sadness, the only reason she would leave is if was so important she had no choice. Day in and day out she was stare at the world outside, as like before she would sing.

            Now, conversely, she said nothing, she was mute to everyone outside of Kurt and Xavier, who would visit often and ask about what she saw. She willingly gave out small parts that they could piece together, but she could never bring herself to spill the entire thing at once.

            Kurt sat behind her at the moment, keeping an eyes on her while skimming through T.V. channels… hoping he'd fine some anime she'd always watch or a comical show to cheer her up.

            Outside the sun gave it's rays to the Earth below, the younger students cheerfully playing sports and practiced their mutation skills on one another. Animals scurried about them, as some students had the ability to speak with them… like Tora.

            At least she kept her beauty, which showed wonderfully on her as she looked through the window to what seemed like another world.

            "Tora…?" Xavier knocked his knuckles lightly on her doorway. Kurt's attention was quickly taken, but it took a moment for Tora to tear away from the outside, "I have a proposition…"

            As he wheeled in, she fixed her position on the bed so as to see him, and Kurt, better. She nodded, not feeling the need to use her voice in this case.

            Although he knew what he was to offer her, he didn't quite grasp how to say this without sending the fear of pain back into her.

            "What is it Professor…?" Tora spoke, as if she didn't realize he was thinking.

            In the silence of the room, besides Xavier's twisting thoughts that vigorously clawed at his mind, the other two had their thoughts wandering as well, but not for the same reason. Kurt could not utter a word without fear of becoming permanently mute, but once the time came where his vocal cords were once more strong, he was ready to shoot a number of questions and conversations at everyone.

            Tora, on the other hand, set her ideals a bit deeper, and actually had to look within her from outside to get any clue to an answer. She wondered if she'd ever accept what she was… sure could handle being told her only purpose for creation was to act like a whore and die afterwards… she had been ever since she discovered it and set the laboratory in flames.

            If she handled it so well… why did she go ballistic and destroy that small part of her homeland? Why had she secretly seeked out Kurt to cry upon his shoulder? Why did her heart feel heavy every time someone would mention it around her?

            She covered it within the confounds of her head, keeping it locked inside, not wanting to face the fact she hated every last inch of herself and all she has, and was to, become.

            "This idea… I spoke of it with Oasis…" he again pulled her from her diminutive soul-search by speaking, "…and with Fyer. Being ladies, I figured their maternal nature might prove to see your future with less stress."

            Tora scooted herself to the bed's edge, lightly pushing her legs from the sheets and flinging them over the side. Her tail flopped over Kurt's casually, who sat next to her.

            "I won't take you to your place of creation… but perhaps it would be best for you to be at home in China."

            Tora grunted at the idea, but not in a bad way. It indeed sounded promising, and she had never known Xavier for trickery, so this was a genuine offer. Damned if she'd ever go back to that lab…

            She though of the time after her escape, the trees so lovely, animals not afraid of her… to be with her own kind-in a sense- and live as a wild tigress. Many a night she'd wake in the early hours of morning and watch nature specials on the animal she shared genetics with. Her memory of the freedom was the clearest she had from that area of her life… it was so pleasant, she could be in tune with the animals, and still function as a human.

            "Koneko would come… right?"

            Kurt jerked his head at her after the mutter of this query, shocked and finding it hard to understand why she wished to leave the institute where allies could protect her. Charles could only smiled sweetly, patting the top of her hand with his palm, "Of course he would come."

            "When…?" it was short and to the point, Tora was a jumble of emotion at this time and didn't quite have the space in her mind to think, what with all the other things running around and new inquiries and suggestions coming forth.

            "Whenever you wish, Tora."

            No smile had become present on his face, perhaps it was to soon, but she lunged herself at Kurt, her arms curling tightly around his fuzzy blue body. He, though, didn't have the same happiness. Surely he took delight in the knowledge that this made the weight of depression lift from her shoulders some, but another part of him wondered if she should leave the protection of the school at the moment. Either way, it wasn't his call, and he'd have to live with whatever choice she willed to make… and by her squeeze around him, it was evident she was to depart for China.

            _To be concluded._


	16. To Angst

            It had become nightfall, and Tora had yet to finish tossing her belongings together. Charles had spoke of a family near the lower mountains that was would be more than thrilled to have Tora in their company. The tiger was a great animal to their eyes, and Tora was only a Goddess to them… it made her feel somewhat guilty… for she was no Goddess… she was a bundle of carefully placed organs come to life. No matter… she had a home, and soon, she would have a new, and, with any luck, enhanced life in her motherlands.

            For the first time since the crushing information first entered her memory in the laboratory, she was smiling. Buzzing around her room like a giddy humming bird, she rushed her belongings onto her bed, each pile a type of item… a pile of clothing, a mound of her silk undergarments, her little stuffed toys so full of cheer…

            As she moved swiftly from one side of the room to the next, placing an object to the bed with each new adjustment, she again used that dashing voice of hers, but in a good way. It was a beautiful song by _Enya_ that no words were associated with… which was good, she couldn't have remembered them anyhow.

            "So you are leaving…"

            The thick voice made her jump from shock, her tail frizzing out some and her ears flattened. Twisting around with the speed of lightning, her eyes darted about and her fingers were curled up… she looked like a very bizarre feline.

            "Oh… you…" her moan as added with rolling eyes, her posture slowly shifting back into a straight position and her return to gathering belongings continuing, "Come to give 'You better hurry it up, psycho-cat!' order? Or just here to toss belongings around and make task harder?"

            "I'm going to wish you a better life, but if you're going to be a wench about it I _can_ say those things if you wish…" Logan growled beneath his heavy breath, leaning on the doorway as he always did.

            She simply snorted, "In all my time here, I've made friend to everyone… accept you. I never understood why…"

            A satin dress of white was folded beneath her fingertips, and she reached for another article of clothing to neatly press so as to fit in her suitcase. Her clothing was all given to her… everything she had was a gift, mostly from Kurt or Oasis, but she would be forever grateful.

            "I'll help… you have quite a bit here…" A hand reached out for her velvet jacket, but was quickly drawn back as she smacked it.

            "There is no way in hell I let you touch my things! You'll just rip it up…" Normally, it was Tora who had the patients and Logan who was the complete ass hole… but it seemed to be switched, as he just glared her rather than make a rude comment or hit back.

            Her back turned towards him and she wandered to a corner, gathering more of her plush novelties together. It gave him a instant to be nosey and see what she would take and leave behind… if anything. It was all the usual things, but that didn't stop him from snatching a black bra and examining it closely.

            "Pervert!" She shrieked and slapped his back-head, stealing her garment back and stuffing it into her suitcase swiftly, "Stupid bastard, I should press charges!"

            "…For holding your bra…?"

            "Yes! Sick-o, get out!" Her lips curled as she snarled, pointing a finger to the door and pushing on his chest.

            Calmly, and so drastically out of character, he curled his hand around the wrist in which her hand had shoved him before it fell to her side. Tora yanked on it with bared teeth, threatening him in her native tongue… to hell with English.

            "Kurt's upset at your leaving…" some rapidly thought-of excuse for grabbing her, other than the truth of just wanting to get a clear look of her face for memory's sake.

            At the elf's name, her struggle to be free was paused, and she took her glance away, "…I know he is."

            Parts of his image where blocked due to the hair brushing over her eyes, but her voice had lowered and her stance was suggestive she no longer was willing to engage in a battle.

            He was wearing the wife-beater Koneko had used as a teething-toy… she could tell by all the small tooth holes and rips. It was a surprise to her he actually kept the ratty thing. Even more astounding was when she caught herself just standing there starring at him as if she didn't have other things to do. What a terrible waste of time to gawk at _him_ of all people. Disgusted with herself, her petite struggle to free her wrist from his warm hand kicked up once more. This didn't do any good, his grip just god tighter.

            "Tora, what do you see in Creed…? He's a murdering ally cat… and you know it," as if the four death riders of the apocalypse were to come, within the profound layers of his tone, she heard a sense of misery.

            She had no choice but to answer, if he ever sounded so dejected again, she'd have to wonder just what exactly Xavier tells him after him and her have a verbal brawl, "He… he's not. He only to you because you a selfish man. He saved me and brought me here. As far as I concerned, my life owed to him."

            At this his hold released and he left, silently, not one more glance to her. Tenderly she licked over the pinkish marking he had left behind, rubbing it afterwards.

            That was the oddest thing he'd ever done… okay, so she had caught him happily festering up a sandwich for Kurt, and even playing ping-pong with Scott wearing a smile… but this had to be the icing on the 'peculiar' cake. Since when did he care about her enough to wonder about her thoughts on others? Not only that, but when did he start paying attention to Kurt long enough to understand his feelings? All her answers pointed to Xavier, who had worked miracles before, and shrugging it off as so, not paying it much mind afterwards.

            None else bothered her that evening, and she was ready just as quickly as her agreement to leave had been struck. In her sleep she dreamt of snow and mountains, a frozen lake and a fuzzy figure with a small white animal… soon it would be her reality, her peace that she was meant to have.

            "How much longer?!" Scott groaned, fidgeting in his seat.

            "Yo' ha'e tha atten'on span of 'ah fly… yo' kno' that, Scott?" Remy grew tired of Scott's constant complaining… a jet-trip from New-York to China wasn't some five-minute ride.

            "Shut up, both of you!" Fyer curved in her seat, glaring at them behind her, "We're not doing this for _your_ entertainment, Scott! We're doing this for Tora!"

            Scott sank into his seat, but held an immature pout-face. Remy chuckles and rubbed his fingers into Scott's thick, hazel hair.

            Oasis rolled her eyes, her seat next to Fyer's, but as she slipped back into a normal positional, she poked at Fyer and giggled.

            Near the front Tora and Kurt occupied a set of two seats, Tora at the window and never taking her eyes from it since take-off. Kurt had long since fell into a deep sleep upon her shoulder, the clear saliva making up his drool on her outfit, but Tora didn't mind, she found it rather cute actually. The jet's shadow masked the pale colorings of the clouds, but no matter, they were moving too swift to actually tell where one could ended and the other began.

            Koneko was pawing at Kurt's speared tail pleasantly, careful not to extend his claws and wake Kurt with pain. His goal was just to keep occupied, not to inflect harm.

            In her heart it felt wrong to have all these people coming with her just to see her off, then take the long flight back, but the joy that filled her to know they cared so much overrode that and made her body pulse with gratifying warm feelings.

            "Tora, we're going to be landing soon…" Xavier came forth from the pilot room, stopping at the set of seats Tora placed herself in.

            The others took sight to her and the professor, the aircraft shaking violently every few minutes from the turbulence of the landing process. At the last, tremendous crash, she moaned and held her hand on Kurt's head, "What _is_ that man doing…?"

            "It's alright… this part of the country has a thin layer of air, Logan knows what he's doing."

            Immaturely she snorted, and Remy busted out into a thunderous laughter, "Ob'ously he do't! He's lettin' her go!"

            "I would be happy to kill you before I leave!" The jet had come to a halt, and it was safe to stand as she did… she would have anyway, nevertheless.

            He turned his head in the opposite direction to hide his lighthearted snickers and held his palm out, a wordless sign he wished no harm on either of them.

            Past the window Tora could see the land, unmoving, and close. She saw no house, but guessed it was near and stood hastily. Kurt slumped over and plopped his head on the seat Tora once occupied, his slumber within the insightful confounds of the dream-world keeping him captive.

            He was so charming like that, though saliva dripped from his pinkish tongue, it made him look like an innocent child who's buggiest worry was what to do with the booger he'd just picked. He'd be missed most, her friends were valued highly, but family was blood… and he was the closest thing she had… they all were.

            After leaning to kiss his cheek, she was aimed for the open doorway in the jet's rear, the rush of snowy hair filling the interior and leaving goose bumps on her skin. Oasis wouldn't let her go so simply, bursting from her seat and tackling herself on Tora, she tightly curled her arms around her shoulders and pushed her face onto Tora's, "You'll know where I'll be! It'll be silent without you and Logan fighting…"

            A chuckle escaped from Tora's lips, and her hands brushed over Oasis, "You, I won't forget… Kaysa."

            During their goodbye hold, the lime orbs glittered at Fyer, who leaned in her seat and smiled. She was so gorgeous wearing that smile… Tora had never seen her with that expression to her face, only Kurt had ever made her grin… but that was Kurt's specialty: to make light of everything in a joyous manor.

            Remy took to his feet as well, slinging a arm around her shoulders, and Oasis' arms, and softly tweaking her feline ears. The tickling made her laugh and warmed her whole insides. Even Scott was waving too her, the side of his lips tugging unwillingly for him into a cheesy smirk.

            Tora had a family, a _real_ family… she could care less about blood, their DNA could never be alike, and their backgrounds stated anything by siblings… but they banned together, they'd save her from death, just as she'd place herself right under the finger of death for them. They were mutants, created, born… it made no difference. All they had was each other, and they were happy with it… _Tora_ was happy, yanking both Scott and Fyer from their comfy seating, she longingly stared at each face for what seemed as forever… she'd never forget them, these allies who gave her the skills to speak, those who accepted her, those who loved her and would miss her on this exit.

            Her smile was so bright, her eyes shutting to drink in the sent of her comrades, each one unique and easy to pick from the others.

            "Tora?" Xavier held his hand out for her, knowing indeed this would be like guiding a troubled child trouble danger… in this case, Tora was so full of rapture, it hurt.

            Hesitantly she pulled from them, underestimating how entirely tricky it would be to take herself from the only relations she ever had, and yet there she was, walking from them by the supervision of Xavier's hand.

            The snow was so pure, the metal staircase frigid and growing minuscule crystals of ice… she didn't mind, in fact, she adored the chilling breeze to her face and the frosty feel of snowfall beneath her bare feet.

            Smoke hit her nose hard, her eyes taken to its direction, a small wooden residence emitting the gray haze from it's crimson stack. It was so quant… pleasant, a place where she could make new memories of this land, great ones of playing in the fluffy white ice and spending many a night with her cub… Koneko! She had come so far with him, she couldn't ditch him now.

           She spun so fast that gravity took control and would tripped her into the flurry, if it wasn't for Logan breaking her fall. Beside his boots sat Koneko, mewing at her as if he was laughing like Remy would have.

            "You forgot something…"

            "I know… Charles did say this family had my belongs already… right?"

            "Yes Tora… be careful next time."

            Soundless, she pulled away and snatched up Koneko, his furry little head rubbed on her chin before snuggling in the crease of her coat. She giggled as yet again she was tickled, scratching his back with her black nails carefully.

            "Thank you… I would have gone mad without Koneko…" shyly, her head tilted so as to see his face clearly. She wanted to remember everyone perfectly… even if they had their moments of bickering.

            Offering a veiled hint of peace with him, she blossomed a pleasant smile on her rose lips, her head tilting to the right daintily and her eyes sparkling like the pure snow. He had never seen her smile so marvelously… at least not towards him. Her off-center head made her appear as a guiltless kitten whom had just been found under a pile of clothing. God, was it ever sweet… this disappearance from the institute must have lifted the sharp pain from within her, if she could look at him so beautifully, and actually be showing a true emotion… she was at peace.

            The urge to do something… _anything_ but stand there and let her beam to him perfectly was driving hard… he knew he'd regret just wandering away from her now, when she was offering this one chance to put aside ignorance and pride, and just be a stunning woman.

            Without a second thought, he took her hand and lunged her towards him, pressing his arms over her and holding his palms to the arch of her back. Gasping, she jerked her head in the direction of his neck, leaning into it, "Logan…"

            "Tora, I ask one thing of you… and don't screw it up…"

            It was pure shock to him when she laughed warmly and nuzzled her forehead the jacket above his wide collarbone, like she would with Nightcrawler, "Yes?"

            He waited, pausing to merely see her expression, which was also somewhat of  astonishment: she rested her head upon his shoulder, tilting again, and still holding that girlish grin that was positively delightful. Her hand was curled into a limp fist on his chest, and it would pat the ashen jacket every few seconds that passed.

            The trees echoed back Logan's sigh, his inner thoughts going over if he really wanted to say this or not… "Don't forget me."

            The giggle that was once delicate became a roaring chuckle, but was no less from her healing heart, "It hard to forget idiot like you."

            Poking his nose in one heartbeat, and dashing off to the cabin in the next, she left him confused and placing a finger on the exact place her finger met with his skin.

            Tora would spends her days in this land, tossing snow at Koneko and rolling in the sprouting spring grasses with him. She'd learn the customs of her own people, and become one with her roots one more.

            She would live a healthy life in what she deserved from the start: in harmony.

_Concluded._


End file.
